WATCH: “Needs to be thrown in jail for attempted murder”- Chase Elliott deliberately wrecks Denny Hamlin in Coco-Cola 600, fans react

Hamlin and Elliott almost came to blows in 2017 after the Martinsville Cup race.

Denny Hamlin's No:11 Camry after the crash (Credits: @AndyVermaut/ Twitter)

NASCAR’s most popular driver, Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin had an incident during the 2023 Coco-Cola 600. The defending race winner was wrecked by the 2020 Cup champion. The incident ended both the driver’s days as the damage midway through the race was too much to ignore.

Denny Hamlin and Elliott were racing side by side with the No:9 car on the outside when the wreck happened. The HMS car then contacted the No:11 Toyota while both approached the start-finish line, sending it to the wall. RFK Racing Brad Keselowski, who was running behind them, also contacted Hamlin’s car.

Once released from the infield care center, the duo had a different story about the incident. The No:9 driver denied any scope of an intentional wreck and claimed that it was just a racing incident. Hamlin, on the other hand, was furious, and he demanded that NASCAR suspend Elliott for a deliberate move made on him.

FS Video

“I got right-rear hooked in the middle of the straightway. Yes, it was a tantrum. He shouldn’t be racing next week. Right-rear hooks are unacceptable. He shouldn’t be racing,” the 23Xi Racing co-owner said. His driver Bubba Wallace was suspended for one race last year for a similar move.

Removing all doubt. His steering came back to the exact same position it had previously after we came off the wall.
The higher the line on steering the further LEFT it’s going. pic.twitter.com/DKo7mrLz28
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) May 29, 2023

“The 11 (Hamlin) put me in the fence, and once you take the right sides off these things it’s kind of over. Once you hit the wall in these things, you can’t drive them anymore,” Chase Elliott defended his action.

In case you missed it: WATCH: “The lefts definition of racism”- Aric Almirola shoves Bubba Wallace during rain delay at Charlotte after a heated exchange, fans react

Here is how NASCAR fans on Twitter reacted to the incident

Elliott is the most popular driver in the Cup garage and has the most fan following. So the disagreement among fans on the incident was evident. Some fans quickly came out supporting Elliott, saying it’s just hard racing. On the other hand, some fans called out the 2022 Regular season champion for wrecking Hamlin.

Chase Elliott needs to be thrown in jail for attempted murder. Sound familiar? ??
— Dusty (@Dusty23XI) May 29, 2023

That’s what he gets for racing dirty
— Riley (@IPTCWCDirector) May 29, 2023

That was vicious. Glad Denny's okay, but that was not smart of Chase Elliott to do.
— ?? Sammy Maggio (@SammyMaggio) May 29, 2023

If I’m @NASCAR, I’m sitting Chase down and say “you’re parked next week for that antic. Spend the next week convincing us to not take away your playoff waiver too.” If NASCAR wants to end hooking, they need to send a strong message.
— Ryan C (@rcupp28) May 29, 2023

Chase Elliott fan, but that was clearly intentional. Unfortunately, he's going to be sitting out a race if @NASCAR does what it did to Bubba, which it should. Can't do that kind of stuff, and I won't justify just because I'm his fan.
— G70x7 (@G70x7) May 29, 2023

Everyone needs to watch the Birds Eye replay….keslowski got into Chase’s left rear when car was already unstable. Unfortunate, but not intentional.
— James Lovekamp (@lovekamp_james) May 29, 2023

Time to sit #9 for a week, just like Bubba was last year. Before Denny said it, we were posting the same thing on FB. However, everyone knows that probably won't happen since he's the poster boy for Nascar.
— Lisa Thomas (@Racer1118) May 29, 2023

You push someone into the wall like that, there has to be a consequence. There's history between these 2 as well where Hamlin has wrecked Chase. Not saying this was a smart move, just saying you can push someone around so much before you get pushed back at some point.
— Travis (@TravisThUnknown) May 29, 2023

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#About the Author

Justin P Joy

(4931 Articles Published)

Justin P Joy is a Motorsports writer and editor at FirstSportz. He has been a motorsport journalist since 2020 and has published over 4500 articles. Justin has extensively covered two NASCAR, Formula One, and Moto GP seasons for FirstSportz. He has invested more than a decade of his life on Motorsports, first as a fan and later as a dedicated writer. Justin’s in-depth knowledge of Motorsports and his experience as a fan make his writing resonate with most racing fans worldwide. Justin's love for racing started when he discovered Moto GP at the age of 8. That love later guided him into the world of Formula 1. He fell in love with NASCAR after watching Tom Cruise’s “Days of Thunder” and has been an avid follower of the premier stock car racing series since. He has also been investing his time to exploring WEC, WRC, Formula E, Extreme E, and IndyCar in a bid to deeply understand the culture and history of Motorsports to present a unique perspective to the fans.

WATCH: “Needs to be thrown in jail for attempted murder”- Chase Elliott deliberately wrecks Denny Hamlin in Coco-Cola 600, fans react

Here is how NASCAR fans on Twitter reacted to the incident

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