Payback and retaliation are part and parcel of NASCAR racing. We have seen many drivers go bumper-to-bumper racing at multiple events. But during last year’s Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott crossed the fine line in his retaliation and intentionally wrecked Denny Hamlin. The hit that the No. 11 car took was nasty and could have led to an ugly outcome, thankfully the driver came out of the car unscathed.

Reacting to the incident, Hamlin was fuming and questioning Elliott’s intention on the racetrack, “It’s a tantrum and he shouldn’t be racing next week.” After reviewing the incident, Elliott was found guilty of intentionally wrecking by NASCAR officials and was handed a one-race suspension. With the 2024 event at the iconic mile-and-a-half racetrack, perhaps Hamlin could have aimed to pay back the HMS driver. But surprisingly, he seems to have buried the past grievances and is looking forward to yet another eventful race at Charlotte.

Denny Hamlin isn’t holding grudges against Elliott

The HMS star driver has a good reputation for racing cleanly and avoiding unnecessary drama. However, the 2023 season was a rather frustrating one for him, having missed out on a good chunk of points race due to injury. With a P3 finish at Darlington a week prior, he was contesting for the win against Hamlin. But battling against the No. 11 car, Elliott lost his cool on Lap 186 after being bumped into the wall and intentionally wrecked into his rivals. Resulting in a DNF finish for both drivers.

Reflecting on the incident, Hamlin in an interview with WFMY News 2 via YouTube stated, “That race in particular, I was looking forward to it because I felt like we were really fast during that day and then just made a mistake then and got caught up.” The veteran driver was defending his win from the previous season, but his battle with Elliott led to his early exit from the race.

However, Hamlin is still a fan of the historic event and appreciates the challenges it throws at the race car drivers. “So it’s such a hard race when it comes to how long you have to concentrate. What do you need out of the car? Things like that, I really appreciate the history of it, of it being NASCAR’s longest race, and the mental wear and tear on you as a driver to stay focused for that long. And then, at the end, it always seems to come out to some shootout at the end and we just hope we are on the good end of it.” he added.

The two drivers were at loggerheads during the race at Texas earlier this season. They did race cleanly, but, unfortunately, Hamlin once again found himself crashing into the wall, while Elliott bagged his first win after a torrid 2023 outing.

Comparing the two drivers run in 2024 so far

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With a win already under their belt, both Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott have secured their playoffs spot. However, in a head-to-head comparison, the JGR star looks more likely to edge out his HMS rival. With three wins already to his name, Hamlin looks like a genuine title contender this season. He is actually in contention to win every week, all thanks to his lightning-quick No. 11 Toyota Camry.

Surprisingly, Elliott has been more consistent in the last six Cup starts and has finished inside the top 5 in five of them. In comparison, the JGR star has managed two wins but has finished 30th or worse twice in his last six races. So for the time being, only the number of wins separates the two drivers, and the balance of the scales is pretty even.

Next up on the schedule is the mile-and-a-half race at Darlington Speedway. And looking at their track record and recent visits, Chase Elliott does look like a favorite to win the race, and that would, in theory, place him ahead of Hamlin in the power rankings.