NASCAR has suspended Chase Elliott, one of its most popular drivers, for one race and fined him $100,000 after he intentionally wrecked fellow driver Denny Hamlin during the Coca-Cola 600 race on Sunday. The incident occurred when Hamlin squeezed Elliott into the outer wall, causing damage to his car, in the second stage of the race. Elliott then appeared to intentionally turn left into the rear of Hamlin’s car in a move that NASCAR deemed “removing another competitor from championship contention in a dangerous manner when not racing for position based on the available evidence and specific circumstances of the incident.”
While Hamlin believes the move was payback for the earlier contact, Elliott denies that he purposely caused the crash. Nonetheless, his suspension and absence from this weekend’s race at Sonoma Raceway may impact TV ratings and attendance, given that he has been NASCAR’s most popular driver in the past five years.
In response to the suspension, Hendrick Motorsports, Elliott’s team, stated that it would not appeal the decision, and Corey Lajoie will replace Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet this weekend at Gateway. Elliott will also need to win his first race of the season when he returns from suspension to have any chance of making the playoffs. However, the team will submit a formal request for a playoff waiver.
This is not the first time that NASCAR has issued a suspension for similar behavior. Last year, Bubba Wallace received a one-race suspension for intentionally wrecking Alex Bowman at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin, who co-owns 23XI Racing and drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, was supportive of Wallace’s suspension and advocated for Elliott to receive the same penalty.
In conclusion, while NASCAR has deemed Chase Elliott’s actions during the recent Coca-Cola 600 race to be in violation of its Member Code of Conduct, the debate continues over whether he intentionally caused the wreck or not. With his one-race suspension and hefty fine, Elliott must now find a way to make up points when he returns to the track if he hopes to secure a spot in the playoffs.
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