Elliott and Hamlin were battling for position just 15 laps shy of halfway when Hamlin pushed up the track, causing Elliott to hit the outside wall.
Elliott then appeared to turn down the track into the right-rear fender of Hamlin’s car, sending him head-on into the outside wall in a violent crash that eliminated both drivers from the race.
Although Elliott said it wasn’t intentional, but Hamlin posted SMT data on social media that seemed to suggest otherwise. Hamlin called it a “tantrum” and said that Elliott “shouldn’t be racing next week.”
NASCAR took action less than 24 hours later and on Tuesday, suspended Elliott for one race. He will miss this weekend’s event at Gateway.
In an interview Tuesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NASCAR Senior VP of Competition of Elton Sawyer said: “Drivers nee …