“Chase Elliott Coming Back Onto the Racetrack” – Denny Hamlin Fires Shot at Former Rival as He Uses the Hendrick Motorsports Champion’s Example to Win His Appeal

Where would NASCAR be if not for the rivalries between its drivers? It might not be as popular a sport as it is nowadays. There have been some special rivalries in the past and even the current lot can boast of a few intense, long-standing ones. While Kyle Busch and Joey Logano share a special sort of rivalry, the one between Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott has repeatedly reignited the sparks. However, this time around, Hamlin went too far to save himself and crucify the Hendrick Motorsports star in the process.

It all started in 2017 when Elliott was on his way to registering his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series victory at Martinsville. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver had different plans. He bumped into the then 22-year-old driver, spinning him into the wall. Eventually, Busch went to win the race, and a new rivalry was born. With Hamlin’s recent comments, it doesn’t look like the rivalry is ending soon.

Denny Hamlin takes a massive dig at Chase Elliott to save himself from his $50,000 fiasco

Hamlin was guilty of wrecking Ross Chastain at the Phoenix Raceway earlier this year. The sanctioning body slapped a $50,000 fine and docked 25 points of the 42-year-old. Though Hamlin filed an appeal against the penalty, the National Motorsports Appeal Panel recently upheld the punishment. As per NASCAR’s law, he violated section 4.4.B of the rule book, which finds him attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race or the championship.

In the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin discussed how he tried to put up his case against the panel. He said, “It was a contact, it wasn’t a wreck, it wasn’t a spin. That’s what I am contesting, and it certainly is not a manipulation of the race. And I know that to be true because I provided plenty of examples of exactly what race manipulation is.”

The 3x Daytona 500 winner dug deep to prove his case. Interestingly, he used Chase Elliott’s reference despite anticipating the hate that can come his way. He said, “And I don’t mean to upset anyone here who might be a fan, but I’m sorry, Chase Elliott coming back onto the racetrack at Bristol, multiple laps down, asking where the #5 car is so he can ‘help him out’ is race manipulation.”

WATCH THIS STORY: “I Think It’s Smarter” – Denny Hamlin Reveals Why He Won’t Talk About His Appeal to the $50,000 Ross Chastain Fiasco

When did Chase Elliott manipulate the outcome of a race?

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This takes us back to the 2021 race in Bristol when Elliott and Kevin Harvick collided against each other. After pitting for a flat left-front tire, the Georgia-born driver returned to the track. It was then that he hit Harvick on the left side.

Post that, Elliott kept his car in front of the Stewart-Haas Racing driver for the rest of the race, allowing Kyle Larson to win it. Larson eventually went on to win the Cup Series championship that season.

Citing this incident as a reference, Hamlin said, “He [Elliott] blocked the #4 car [Harvick] to allow his teammate to win. We went to a seminar in January and they explained that we consider race manipulation when you do something that manipulates the finish of the race, that would directly benefit yourself or a teammate.

“I think they put that in rules because of that incident.”

Clearly, the 23XI Racing co-owner is upset that he’s accused of manipulation. It only enraged him further after the failed appeal when NASCAR made a shocking move. With the appeals process underway, NASCAR dropped a bombshell on Hamlin. The governing body declared a rule modification that changed the dynamics of the Florida-born driver’s appeal.

The rule change said that if a penalty is legitimate, the appeal panel cannot strike off the reductions completely. Also, there has to be a minimum and maximum range under which reductions can take place. This justifiably infuriated the JGR driver.

However, the question remains: was he right to mention the Elliott incident to get his point across to the panelists? Let us know in the comments below!

READ MORE – “No Driver Has Ever Lost Points for Wrecking Somebody” – NASCAR Insider Proclaims the Reason for Denny Hamlin’s “Unprecedented” Penalty Isn’t What It Seems