- Elliott outduels Hamlin despite the JGR driver leading most laps at Martinsville.
- Elliott says he has no issues with Hamlin.
- Duo’s clashes include the 2023 run-in that led to Elliott being suspended.
The Martinsville race did not exactly play out the way Denny Hamlin had planned. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who holds six wins at the track, started from the pole and set the pace, and led 292 of the first 317 laps, bagging the first two Stages.
Yet the whole scene flipped during a pit cycle under caution on Lap 312, where he was shuffled back in the order and failed to regain track position on the restart. Hamlin later pointed to a loose wheel as a factor that cost him grip in the closing stretch.
Chase Elliott, meanwhile, stayed within striking distance through the afternoon at the half-mile paperclip but did not match Hamlin’s pace for most of the race. Still, when it came down to crunch time, his crew chief’s strategy turned the tide.
Hamlin lauds Elliott
A call from crew chief Alan Gustafson during that same caution proved to be the turning point, putting Elliott in position to pounce and snap Hendrick Motorsports’ skid.
When the yellow caution flag flew on Lap 312, Elliott ran second behind Hamlin and followed the lead-lap field onto pit road, while Ross Chastain stayed out to take control and led the pack.
On the restart, Elliott wasted no time, taking the lead from Chastain and then holding firm over the final 69 laps. He crossed the line 0.565 seconds ahead of Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota.
In his post-race interview, Hamlin lauded his former rival, saying, “(Elliott) did a good job of controlling the pace there. It just really came from that bad restart I had. Just not much really, I could have done, and it felt like we gave it our all.
“We’ll check it out here, but I just thought the wheel was loose here on that last run. Either way, these are just some of the races that get away from you and your career.”
Is Chase Elliott vs Denny Hamlin over now?
For a feud that has seen sparks fly several times in the past, the closing laps passed without incident. There was no bump-and-run, no last-lap move, just two drivers racing each other clean to the finish.
When probed about their equation now, and if he has forgiven Hamlin for the past incidents, Elliott said, “I have no issues with him at the end of the day. I mean, we certainly had our run-ins, but I’ve watched Denny race the right way for a long time, and he’s raced me with a lot of respect since then.
“I’ve tried to show him that same respect back, and I think as soon as that respect is realised mutually on both sides, it’s pretty drama-free, honestly, and that’s been the case for quite some time. So there are certain guys that you enjoy racing with more than others.
“And, and Denny’s, you know, one that I enjoy racing with as much as anybody. So, um, I know those, you know, those relationships are very, you know, kind of independent, and everybody has their own opinions, but, uh, my personal experience has been good. And I feel like, uh, yeah, we race each other with a lot of respect,” the HMS driver continued.
That tone is a big shift from earlier skirmishes between the two drivers.
Previous skirmishes between Elliott and Hamlin
In 2017 at Martinsville, Elliott was leading late in the First Data 500 when Hamlin made contact with the rear of the No. 24, sending Elliott spinning with three laps remaining. The damage dropped Elliott deep in the field, and he finished 27th while Hamlin finished P7.
Elliott responded after the race by driving into Hamlin’s car, leading to an exchange between the two. Tempers boiled over after the race, with Elliott confronting Hamlin following contact on the cool-down lap.
The feud spilled over to the penultimate race of the season at Phoenix, where Elliott’s contact sent Hamlin into the wall, ending his run at a place in the Championship 4. Hamlin later said the move mirrored the earlier Martinsville clash, calling it part of racing.
The tension resurfaced in 2023 during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte. On Lap 186, Hamlin crowded Elliott into the wall, and moments later, Elliott’s car turned into Hamlin’s, sending the No. 11 into the barrier.
Both cars were knocked out of the race. Hamlin called the move intentional and said it warranted action, while Elliott denied any such intent. Eventually, NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott for one Cup race.
But those flashpoints now sit in the backseat. At Martinsville this time, the two ran nose-to-tail without crossing the line, implying that what once simmered has settled, at least for now.
