Chase Elliott’s stance on racing Hendrick | Sports News

Chase Elliott insisted that there’s a sure stage of respect that drivers uphold whereas racing their teammates after Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs received into an on-track dustup.

During Lap 111 of final week’s USA Today 301 — the opener for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 — Hamlin and Gibbs have been battling for place when the latter dove low earlier than drifting up into his teammate’s racing line. Hamlin did not recognize the transfer, instantly making contact with the left rear quarter panel of the No. 54 Toyota in Turn 1 and launching him spinning into the skin barrier at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Following the fiery incident, Hamlin revealed that he and Gibbs buried the hatchet following a Joe Gibbs Racing crew assembly.

Speaking to reporters at Kansas Speedway, Elliott acknowledged that whereas competitors brings the best out of drivers, there’s a line that may be crossed. “I think just all of us being competitive is a good thing. Just generally, that means that we’re all competitive. So that usually has more benefits than it does negatives, in my opinion,” he stated.

“I think it’s just a respect thing. And not just amongst your teammates, but just amongst your competitors. We talk about this a lot, but it’s just how much do you respect the people around you, and I think only us as drivers know those situations.

“And when you’re pushing really hard, what’s on the line? We all have a pretty good idea of who’s in what position, and I think everyone is aware of that. It’s not a very difficult thing to keep up with. So I think it’s just a respect thing, whether somebody’s your teammate or not.”

Addressing his actions final week, Hamlin admitted that he might have dealt with the state of affairs higher as a substitute of letting his feelings get the best of him. “I mean, certainly,” he stated. “Absolutely. I definitely got hot under the collar, and it went too far on my end, and certainly there was things that I wish I could have done a little differently.”

Thanks to a collection of behind-the-scenes conversations, nevertheless, Hamlin — who’s actively seeking to secure his first-career Cup Series championship — asserted that he and Gibbs have been now on the identical web page.

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“I think they’re in a good place. You know, we had some meetings this week,” Hamlin stated. “I thought they were all productive meetings, but obviously, the guts of that obviously, going to need to be confidential.”

Although Hamlin declined to reveal what was particularly mentioned during the conferences, he did present insight into the construction of these conversations. “Yeah, all the drivers had an opportunity to speak and try to come up with a plan, and I think we did our best to come up with one,” Hamlin defined. “That’s it, that’s all I have.”