Chase Elliott Suspended: Why the Hendrick Motorsports Driver Was out in Madison

The 2020 Cup Series champion Barred From Competing Last Weekend

Chase Elliott has had a difficult 2023 season. He suffered a fractured tibia while snowboarding days after finishing second in Fontana. That leg injury kept him off the track for six weeks. Chase Elliott was then suspended by NASCAR following an incident with Denny Hamlin.

After a solid return starting in Martinsville, things came undone again for the defending regular-season champion.

The Coca-Cola 600 was postponed to Monday due to rain. Less than halfway through the race, Elliott was battling with Denny Hamlin for the position. Hamlin pushed up the track, and Elliott subsequently hit the wall at speed. Elliott turned down the track and caught Hamlin’s right-rear fender, sending the no. 11 into the wall and causing a crash that ultimately took both drivers out.

NASCAR officials suspended Elliott for the next race on the NASCAR schedule within 24 hours.

“Drivers need to understand they have to handle that a completely different way,” Elton Sawyer, NASCAR Senior VP of Competition, said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Hamlin was furious over the move. He called out Elliott’s actions on TV, social media, and his Actions Detrimental podcast.

He pointed to SMT (SportsMEDIA Technology) data showing Elliott intentionally moved down to force the crash. Hamlin argued he moved from the regular, faster line that would make more sense and caused a heavy crash instead.

“You can tell by data whether you’ve got toe-link damage or not,” Hamlin explained on his podcast. “So you can tell that, basically, if your line is skewed one direction or another where you had to turn it left, turn it right.

He threw a hissy fit, and he just hung a left on us on the most dangerous part of the racetrack that you possibly could.”

Spire Motorsports driver Corey LaJoie replaced Elliott in the no. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He finished 21st in the race on Sunday. Elliott getting suspended will loom large the remainder of the season.

Elliott Understands NASCAR’s Decision

“[I’m] Certainly glad Denny’s OK, and I understand NASCAR’s call and what they felt they needed to do,” he said via teleconference. “So I respect all that… For me personally, just looking forward to getting back to work and just trying to get in a groove because I don’t really feel like I’ve been in one throughout the year.”

Following Elliott’s suspension, he will be back in the No. 9 Chevrolet this Sunday in Sonoma. With 11 races left in the season, he’ll need to grab a win to secure a spot in the Cup Series playoffs.

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