Tempers flaring now that the Coca-Cola 600 is finally underway.
The NASCAR Cup Series race was postponed yesterday after a steady rain fell over Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the cars are on the track – and the sparks are flying.
When yet another rain shower brought out a red flag earlier in the race, Aric Almirola was seen pushing Bubba Wallace on pit road as the drivers were getting out of their cars to wait out the delay.
Here’s a screen grab from the video. It goes on for another 90 seconds or so of them arguing and walking away while arguing. If I tried to post the whole thing, this crappy internet would take until after the race. pic.twitter.com/Tl0yS5ni37
— Sarah Davis 🏁🤫 Bubba EXtReMiSt | #23in23 edition (@sarahdavisagain) May 29, 2023
The race finally got back underway, but it wasn’t long before we had another feud boil over – this time on the track.
Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott were racing hard for 7th place with 15 laps to go in the second stage when the two made contact coming out of turn four and Elliott hit the outside wall.
But as the two headed for the start/finish line, Elliott seemingly retaliated against Hamlin and hooked him in the right rear, sending Hamlin’s car spinning hard into the wall and ending both of their days before the race reached the halfway point.
Denny was heated, clearly believing that the move by Elliott to wreck him was intentional, and had some harsh words for Elliott on the team radio after the wreck:
“F*cking bullsh*t. They need to park his f*cking a*s.”
And during an interview after getting checked out at the medical center, Hamlin said that he believes Elliott should be suspended next week, after Bubba Wallace was parked last season for doing the same thing to Kyle Larson at Las Vegas:
“I got right rear hooked in the middle of the straightaway…
It’s a tantrum and he shouldn’t be racing next week. Right rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. I don’t care. It’s the same thing Bubba Wallace did with Kyle Larson. Exact same. He shouldn’t be racing.”
Of course, Chase denied that the contact was intentional when he was asked whether it was retaliation, and said that his car was impossible to drive after getting into the fence:
“Once you hit the wall in these things you can’t drive them anymore, so unfortunately not, no. Just an unfortunate circumstance.”
I guess we’ll have to wait and see who NASCAR believes – but it definitely looked intentional to me.
