Two years ago, Chase Elliott was suspended for one race for wrecking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte Motor Speedway, following a right-rear hook that was deemed retaliatory.

On May 29, during Lap 185 of the rain-delayed 2023 Coca‑Cola, Hamlin and Chase Elliott came together in a controversy that reignited the old debate over retaliation and racing ethics in NASCAR. Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota slid high exiting Turn 4, which pushed Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet into the outside SAFER barrier. Moments later, Elliott’s car made contact with Hamlin’s right‑rear entering the dogleg and sent the Joe Gibbs Racing driver nose-first into the wall.

The incident ended both drivers’ nights early, but after the infield care center treatment, Hamlin drew parallels to last year’s incident involving Bubba Wallace and said that the Hendrick Motorsports champion should be sidelined.

“It’s a tantrum and he shouldn’t be racing next week. Right-rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. … It is the same thing that Bubba Wallace did with Kyle Larson. Exact same,” Denny Hamlin said (via Fox Sports).

Wallace, driving 23XI Racing’s No. 23 Toyota, was parked one race for a similar right‑hook hook on Kyle Larson at Las Vegas Speedway. The former was suspended for a week under Sections 4.3.A and 4.4.C and E of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct.

Elliott, however, denied any intentional retaliation. He blamed the damage from earlier contact that left his car undrivable. But NASCAR wasted little time in reviewing the wreck, and the senior VP of competition, Elton Sawyer, ruled that the incident met the penalty standards within the Member Code of Conduct.

By the following Tuesday, they announced a one‑race suspension for Elliott. Hendrick Motorsports did not appeal and tapped Corey Lajoie as his replacement for the next race at Gateway Speedway.

“Just an unfortunate circumstance” – Chase Elliott dismissed retaliation claims

During a post-race interview, Chase Elliott denied claims of intentionally retaliating against Denny Hamlin and told FOX Sports’ Josh Sims that hitting the wall damaged his car, which made it hard to steer. He explained his steering locked after the initial wreck and that the chaotic conditions of the dogleg left little room for control.

“The 11 (Hamlin) ran us up in the fence there, and once you tear the right side off these things, it’s kind of over. Once you hit the wall in these things, you can’t drive them anymore. … Just an unfortunate circumstance,” Chase Elliott said (via NASCAR.com).

Chase Elliott skipped his seventh race of the 2023 season that week, the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, after missing six races earlier due to injuries following a snowboarding accident in Colorado.