MADISON, Ill. – Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin both have two victories this NASCAR Cup Series season. These two Cup championship contenders clashed at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday (June 5), and it left both drivers unhappy after the Enjoy Illinois 300.
When stage one ended, Hamlin finished fourth with Chastain right behind him.
Thirteen laps into stage two, after attempting to pass Hamlin, Chastain drove his No. 1 Chevrolet into Hamlin’s No. 11, causing a caution.
"Denny is not gonna be happy about that." 👀
Contact from Ross Chastain sends Denny Hamlin into the wall at Gateway. https://t.co/5AReaSwuvG pic.twitter.com/S3rwcPvwVy
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 5, 2022
Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing team repaired his No. 11 to continue, but it was heavily damaged. His chances of winning back-to-back races this season were over.
Hamlin sought retribution, however. Although he didn’t outright wreck Chastain, his driving caught the attention of NASCAR.
Denny Hamlin radio: "The tower says they think you've made your point."
Hamlin himself: "Yeah, right."#NASCAR #EnjoyIllinois300
— Adam Cheek (@adamncheek) June 5, 2022
On lap 103, Chastain then made contact with Chase Elliott, making a second driver unhappy with Chastain’s actions.
Shortly thereafter, Elliott and Hamlin tag-teamed against Chastain.
😱 pic.twitter.com/4QXV3PbYXM
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 5, 2022
Yet Chastain’s No. 1 remained intact. In fact, he finished eighth. Unfortunately, Hamlin finished 11 laps down in 34th place.
After the race, Hamlin freely spoke about his ruined race.
“I thought he was being aggressive,” he said. “He got inside of us, I think he was trying to slide us and he would wash up the track and get to our door for three laps in a row. Finally, he tucked up behind us and got into the back of us. I mean, it’s just the choices you make. It made it [his day] more difficult. I didn’t touch his car. We had a miserable day – we went from running up front to limping a car eight laps down or wherever we were all day. You’re just going to have to weigh the odds to make sure they get the message.”
Did Chastain thoroughly receive the message? It’s debatable.
“You got to do more,” Hamlin implored. “You have to do more than that. There are no warnings. When you make positions, and he wasn’t shy. Our contact, there was no sense of conscience there. Maybe I’m being aggressive. That’s his decision to make, he can make any decision he wants to. Obviously, he’s his own guy. He’s been very successful doing what he’s doing. Ultimately, this sport is self-policing. When you least expect it and it means the most is when it comes back around.”
Chastain was apologetic post-race, though actions obviously carry more weight than words.
"I owe half the field an apology … I can't believe that I continue to make the same mistakes."@JamieLittleTV talks with Ross Chastain after his run-ins with competitors at Gateway. pic.twitter.com/o3XicpVLJ0
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) June 5, 2022
Hamlin could still deliver some on-track payback. It’s to be determined when that will happen, including possibly in the playoffs. Both drivers will vie for their first Cup title.
“Who knows, right?” Hamlin stated. “You never know the time or place, you never know when the right time and place is. Certainly, it ruined our day.”
For this inaugural Cup race at Gateway, Hamlin and Chastain delivered drama. But it wasn’t drama battling for a victory. Instead, it left both drivers leaving unhappily. For Hamlin, it took away a possible race-winning No. 11 Toyota.
“He didn’t have to move us, it ruined our day.”
Mark Kristl joined Frontstretch at the beginning of the 2019 NASCAR season. He is the site's ARCA Menards Series editor. Kristl is also an Eagle Scout and a proud University of Dayton alum.