There will be no consequences for Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) drivers Chase Elliott or Denny Hamlin following their late-race quarrel in Sunday night’s First Data 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Hamlin spun Elliott from the race lead on Lap 498 in Sunday’s Round of 8 Playoff opener, sending Elliott’s No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet hard into the outside wall.
After the checkered flag, the Dawsonville, Ga. native responded to the incident by turning his Chevrolet into Hamlin’s Toyota pinning him along the backstretch wall, entering Turn 3. Once stopped, the two drivers then exited their race cars to have a heated exchange.
Race fans in the stands even chimed in with the post-race activity on the infield television offering cheers when Elliott was shown and boos when Va. native Hamlin was displayed.
During his routine appearance on The Morning Drive on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer Steve O’Donnell said Monday the sanctioning body will not take further action.
“Certainly, what Chase was able to do in an attempt to win his first race there, I think you saw by the fans how much he has a fan base and how much everyone wants to see him win,” O’Donnell said,
“Denny, I think, did in his mind what he needed to do and probably went too far. We did not make a call there. That race stands.
“We’re not in the business of calling an in-race penalty postrace. That was good hard racing, for the most part, all day at Martinsville.”
O’Donnell mentioned that while Hamlin may have made a mistake, their passion could not be downplayed.
“I think Denny might have crossed the line as he put out there on Twitter, and I thought Chase handled himself very well postrace,” he added. “Showed some passion. That’s what the sport is all about. He’s got a long career ahead of him. I think he’ll be up front leading many times.”
After the race, Elliott also hit Hamlin while his window net was down, but O’Donnell banished any wish that penalties would veneer from that too.
“Not really,” O’Donnell sounded. “You’re at a short track and not at speed. … For us, that was just part of Martinsville.”
Both drivers were battling for a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway on Nov. 19. While Hamlin escaped the contact with Elliott with the lead, he would lose the race on the ensuing restart from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch.
While Busch secured his berth into the Championship race for the third consecutive season, Hamlin finished seventh after being tangled into a massive accident on the frontstretch coming to the checkered flag.
Elliott limped to a 27th place finish and now sits last among the Playoff drivers and 26 points behind the fourth-place cutoff slot with two races remaining in the Round of 8.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
