The longest race in the whole of NASCAR’s season, the Coca-Cola 600 was delivered to the audience in its full glory. Although the rain had initially dampened the ambiance of the event as it was postponed till Monday afternoon, the Crown Jewel lived up to its name, as the most unexpected yet inevitable moment came to fruition at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The point of contention was none other than the wreck between NASCAR’s “Golden Boy” Chase Elliott and the winner from last year’s Coca-Cola 600 Denny Hamlin. The crash led to the retirement of both drivers due to the heavy damage both the cars had sustained. Moreover, this launched a war of words between the drivers.
Chase Elliott Faces the Wrath of Infuriated Denny Hamlin After the Charlotte Incident
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The collision occurred at Turn 4 of Lap 186 when the Joe Gibbs Racing’s veteran driver squeezed Hendricks’ Elliott to the outside wall and eventually brushed him up with the outside wall. But how the incidents unfolded after the incident was quite dramatic with the 23XI Racing co-owner putting it as history repeating itself.
In the wreck which allegedly appears to be intentional in nature, Elliott veered to his left and hooked to the right rear of Hamlin’s No.11 Toyota. This resulted in the absolute crumpling of the 3x Daytona winner’s car before it was towed away from the track. Nevertheless, this incident left Hamlin seething in anger and calling it out as an act of retaliation.
In his post-race interview, the No.11 Toyota driver called out Chase Elliott, “It’s a tantrum, and shouldn’t be racing next week. Right rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. I don’t care. It is the same thing that Bubba Wallace did with Kyle Larson. Exact same. He shouldn’t be racing. It’s a tantrum.”
Nonetheless, the 2020 Cup Series champion shrugged off the charges and termed it as an “unfortunate circumstance.” He retorted, “The 11 put me in the fence, and once you take the right sides off these things it’s kind of over,” he said. “Once you hit the wall in these things, you can’t drive them anymore.”
A big hit for Denny Hamlin. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/Ss1FEqGYiJ
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 29, 2023
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Netizens Cannot Help but Make Fun of Denny’s Wrecked Car
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However, the incident is far from over, as a picture of Denny Hamlin’s wrecked car being carried away on a flatbed truck surfaced on the internet and garnered the attention of the fans. They seemed to have extracted their fun from the wreckage and Hamlin’s hurling complaints to Chase Elliott.
Denny Hamlins car on a flatbed truck outside of the speedway at around 7:40 PM
by u/just_cool_studio in NASCAR
One of the fans on Reddit wrote, “The Corolla behind it is the fastest vehicle in this picture.”
“Jr wasted no time snagging it for the graveyard.” This was surely a clever take on the situation, seeing how Dale Earnhardt has his very own car graveyard.
“Denny is driving it overnight to NASCAR’s HQ in Daytona, so he can show them exactly where on the car Chase intentionally hooked him.”
“Park it at Steve Phelps’s house.”
Chase Elliott on what happened. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/OfxqSqdCaX
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 29, 2023
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While a fan wrote, “I wonder if it’s going to NASCAR R&D for a safety inspection? That was a vicious hit,” someone replied with, “He’s got the PowerPoint ready like George Russell.”
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Now, it is to be seen how the governing body tackles the charges that Denny Hamlin has thrashed on Chase Elliott. If the charges are really proven against Elliott, he may have to sit outside for one race, given its precedence. This could really jeopardize his chances of entering the playoffs. Nothing could be sadder than this for the Cup Series champion.