NASCAR officials are putting Chase Elliott in the penalty box, one day after he intentionally crashed out Denny Hamlin during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
As it turns out, Hamlin got his wish, demanding after the race that Elliott be suspended for his actions.
“I got right-rear hooked in the middle of the straightaway,” Hamlin said. “Right rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. It’s a tantrum and he shouldn’t be racing next week.”
The two were racing for position when Elliott brushed the outside wall. When the two charged off turn four, Elliott’s Chevrolet hit Hamlin’s right rear, turning the Toyota into the frontstretch’s outside wall on lap 186 of the 400-lap race. Both drivers’ cars were wrecked and knocked from the race.
NASCAR agreed with Hamlin, saying in its weekly penalty report release at just past 5 p.m. ET that Elliott’s move on Lap 186 was intentional. Studies of the data recorders supported the decision.
Elliott’s team—Hendrick Motorsports—issued a statement saying that it would not appeal the decision. Elliott will sit out this week’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Madison, Ill.
Hendrick Motorsports released the following statement Tuesday, moments after NASCAR’s ruling was sent to the media.
“We understand NASCAR’s need to maintain consistency in its officiating. The penalty will not be appealed, and we will submit a formal request for a playoff waiver. Corey LaJoie, 31, will drive the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. We are grateful to Corey for stepping in and to the team at Spire Motorsports for making him available.”
Earlier this season, Elliott missed six races due to a broken leg suffered in a snowboarding accident. Missing one more race will leave him with just 11 races to earn his first win of the season and punch his ticket to the NASCAR Playoffs. Elliott won the 2020 championship and has qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs each of his first seven full seasons in the Cup Series.
Officials cited Sections 4.3.A and 4.4.C & D of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct spelled out in the NASCAR Rule Book.
Section 4.3.A covers member conduct and includes a passage, “correct and proper conduct, both on and off the race track, is part of a member’s responsibilities.” Section 4.4.C lists “removing another competitor from championship contention in a dangerous manner when not racing for position based on the available evidence and specific circumstances of the incident” as one of two actions that could result in a penalty, including race suspension(s).
The rule book includes penalties for “clearly forcing another competitor into the wall in an abrupt and unambiguous manner,” while Section 4.4.D lists “actions by a NASCAR member that NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock car racing or NASCAR.”
NASCAR could have issued penalties including any combination of fines, loss of points or suspensions.
Mike Pryson covered auto racing for the Jackson (Mich.) Citizen Patriot and MLive Media Group from 1991 until joining Autoweek in 2011. He won several Michigan Associated Press and national Associated Press Sports Editors awards for auto racing coverage and was named the 2000 Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club’s Michigan Motorsports Writer of the Year. A Michigan native, Mike spent three years after college working in southwest Florida before realizing that the land of Disney and endless summer was no match for the challenge of freezing rain, potholes and long, cold winters in the Motor City.
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