NASCAR’s Steve Phelps on Chase Elliott suspension: ‘We hate it but it's a call we needed to make’

NASCAR favourite Chase Elliott was absent from Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Race astatine World Wide Technology Raceway aft helium was suspended for intentionally crashing into Denny Hamlin successful the Coca-Cola 600 past week. 

While astir drivers person seemingly supported the disciplinary decision, a remark from NASCAR president Steve Phelps up of this past weekend’s contention has near immoderate fans confused. 

Chase Elliott prepares to suffice for the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 astatine Darlington Raceway connected May 13, 2023, successful South Carolina. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)

According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Phelps said Saturday that the determination to suspend Elliott was based connected the precedent that had been acceptable erstwhile Bubba Wallace was suspended successful October aft helium crashed Kyle Larson astatine the NASCAR Cup Series contention astatine Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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"It would beryllium hard to person a speech with Denny oregon Bubba oregon idiosyncratic other and say, ‘Hey, it was not OK for Bubba to bash it and it's OK for Chase to bash it," Phelps told Pockrass.

"We hatred it but it's a telephone we needed to make."

It was Phelps’ last remark that near fans scratching their head. 

"So if I’m speechmaking this right, Phelps truly didn’t privation to suspend Elliott. I’m assuming they didn’t privation the backlash," 1 idiosyncratic wrote.

"Why would they ‘hate’ making the close call? He deserved the suspension 100%," different idiosyncratic responded. 

Chase Elliott during operator introductions earlier the NASCAR Daytona 500, Feb. 19, 2023, successful Daytona Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

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Hamlin says helium was close rear hooked by Elliott connected Lap 186 of the contention astatine Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hamlin and Elliott were side-by-side erstwhile Hamlin forced Elliott into the extracurricular wall. Elliott past made interaction with Hamlin's close rear, forcing him head-on into the wall.

Hamlin instantly made the examination to the incidental involving Wallace and Larson and added that "he shouldn’t beryllium racing." 

Drivers person supported the determination to suspend Elliott, who was voted NASCAR’s astir fashionable operator for the past 5 seasons. 

"I’m conscionable gladsome that NASCAR is consistent," Hendrick Motorsports operator William Byron said Sunday. "I deliberation that we’ve seen it successful the past and it's a small spot antithetic circumstances but similar. So I deliberation conscionable being accordant is bully and I anticipation I’m ne'er successful those positions to person to brushwood that oregon beryllium connected the losing extremity of it." 

Bubba Wallace, right, argues with Kyle Larson aft the 2 crashed during a NASCAR Cup Series race, Oct. 16, 2022, successful Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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"What happened to Bubba past year, precise akin to what happened connected Monday night," Ryan Blaney said Sunday. 

"If you’re going to marque a telephone connected 1 feline for doing immoderate move, you person to beryllium accordant connected what you telephone connected different feline for doing a move. That’s conscionable benignant of what it is. It’s bully that they were benignant of accordant successful the calls for the nonstop aforesaid benignant of retaliation and I deliberation that’s however it should be." 

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.