Denny Hamlin hilariously clapped back at accusations that he caused a massive wreck involving John Hunter Nemechek and Chase Elliott at Bristol Motor Speedway.
On Saturday, Elliott did little to hide his frustration upon crashing out of the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, which saw Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Berry get officially eliminated from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
On Lap 310, Elliott was running in the top lane when he attempted to sharply turn down into a quickly closing hole in Turn 4. The risky move swiftly backfired, as the No. 9 Chevrolet driver was hit hard from behind by Nemechek, who didn’t check up to provide him a break.
Hamlin provided the finishing touches on the collision, ramming into the back of Nemechek once the No. 42 Toyota eventually checked up. Elliott, meanwhile, suffered heavy front-end damage after crashing hard into the wall.
Following the on-track dustup, Nemechek told his crew chief to apologize to Elliott while laying blame for the incident on Hamlin. “Tell the 9 I’m sorry, I got run over [by Denny Hamlin],” he explained.
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Upon catching wind of Nemechek’s message over the radio, Hamlin wrote on social media: “Say what? Lol.” Several fans insisted that the 44-year-old was not at fault, with one X user writing, “Tv later showed it started before your contact with them. You’re good,” and another adding: “From what I saw the 42 hit the 9 when he tried to fit in the hole and Denny hit the 42 as a result of their contact…”
A third chimed in, “The 9 spotter and JHN threw you under the bus and then backed over you. You didn’t even hit anybody till JHN punted the 9.”
Speaking to reporters on the heels of his early exit from the Playoffs Round of 16 elimination race, Elliott provided his side of the story. “You know, it was a game of just how quick could you get to the bottom after a few laps to preserve your tire,” he began. “And I thought I was doing the smart thing — the Penske guys had got position on me, so I was just trying to get back down in line.
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“Yeah, I got a huge shot from behind and I don’t know if maybe he had gotten hit or I just stacked the lane up that much or what. But yeah, nonetheless, it happened and it’s done. We’re in a bit of a pickle here now.”
Similar to Elliott, Hamlin’s evening came to a premature end when he clipped AJ Allmendinger after losing his right-front tire, which continued to roll down the track. The No. 11 Toyota driver was swiftly issued a two-lap penalty, with two of his pit crew members expected to receive a two-race suspension.