Erik Jones replaces Denny Hamlin in No. 11 Toyota as Bristol race restarts after long delay

By Nate RyanApr 19, 2015, 6:55 PM EDT

BRISTOL, Tenn. – The Food City 500 restarted Sunday night without a Sprint Cup star.

Erik Jones replaced Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 Toyota after a red flag of nearly four hours at Bristol Motor Speedway. Hamlin told Fox Sports One that he hurt himself on Lap 12.

“I pulled something in my neck to upper back,” he said. “I started going backward because the pain was bothering me quite a bit. I stretched it out, and we’d been working it the last few hours. I’m not 100 percent. With this format, it’s all about winning, and there’s no way I’d be able to compete for a win. It’s just doing my team a complete injustice to run a bunch of laps.”

Hamlin is qualified to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup by virtue of his March 29 victory at Martinsville Speedway. Jones hadn’t raced a Sprint Cup car before but has excelled in the Xfinity Series for JGR, scoring his first win at Texas Motor Speedway last week and starting from the pole position Saturday.

“It’s better to have Erik come and run a few laps and get used to these Cup cars,” Hamlin said. “We know where he’s going to be a in a few years.”

Hamlin was fifth when the race was stopped after 22 laps. Jones dropped to the rear at the green flag, putting him 37th as the last driver on the lead lap.

Hamlin said his Camry was strong enough to score his second victory at Bristol.

“We felt I had a race winner, we just didn’t have a race-winning driver,” he said. “I think (the injury) is something that will go away. I just pulled something and jarred it in some kind of a weird way. It’s just a tough track. I’ll just try to win Richmond next week.”

Because Hamlin started the race, he will receive the points earned by Jones’ finish, and Jones will not be credited with a Sprint Cup start.

The last time a NASCAR driver made his de-facto Sprint Cup debut during a race was at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July 2004. Martin Truex Jr. took over the No. 8 Chevrolet in relief of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was recovering from burns suffered in a sport-car crash in Sonoma, Calif.

Truex made his “official” debut in Sprint Cup three months later at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

No clue what triggered the spasms today but I'll be fine and ready to roll when we get to @RIRInsider

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) April 20, 2015

NASCAR suspends Chase Elliott one race for incident with Denny Hamlin

By Dustin LongMay 30, 2023, 5:39 PM EDT

NASCAR suspended Chase Elliott one Cup race for wrecking Denny Hamlin in Monday’s Coca-Cola 600, the sanctioning body announced Tuesday.

“We take this very seriously,” Elton Sawyer, senior vice president of competition, said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. “The incident that happened off Turn 4, again after looking at all the available resources — in-car camera, data, SMT, which basically gives us (a car’s) steering, throttle, gives us braking — it was an intentional act by Chase in our opinion.”

Hendrick Motorsports stated that it would not appeal the penalty. Corey LaJoie will drive the No. 9 car for Hendrick Motorsports this weekend at World Wide Technology Raceway. Carson Hocevar will drive LaJoie’s car this weekend.

Hendrick Motorsports also stated that it would submit a waiver request for Elliott to remain eligible for the playoffs. Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that “I don’t see any reason at this point in time why wouldn’t (grant the waiver) when that request comes across our desk.”

This weekend will mark the seventh race in the first 15 that Elliott will have missed. He missed six races after breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident in early March. Elliott, who is winless this season, is 29th in points.

Elliott and Hamlin got together shortly before the halfway mark in Monday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

As they ran together, Elliott’s car slapped the outside wall. Elliott’s car then made contact with the right rear of Hamlin’s car, sending Hamlin into the wall.

“I got right-rear hooked in the middle of the straightway,” Hamlin said after the incident. “Yes, it was a tantrum. He shouldn’t be racing next week. Right-rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. He shouldn’t be racing.”

Said Sawyer on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: “In the heat of the battle, things happen, but they have to learn to react in a different way. … Our drivers need to understand that you have to handle that in a completely different way than hooking someone in the right rear and putting them in harm’s way, not only with just a major head-on collision like Denny had, but also other competitors.”

Sawyer also said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio that “nothing gave us the indication that on that particular contact with the fourth-turn wall … that anything was broke” on Elliott’s car and could have caused him to come down and hit Hamlin’s car in the right rear.

NASCAR also announced that Scott Brzozowski and Adam Lewis, crew members on Michael McDowell‘s team, had each been suspended two races after McDowell’s car lost a tire in Monday’s race.

Winners and losers at Charlotte Motor Speedway

By Mike HembreeMay 30, 2023, 7:00 AM EDT

A look at winners and losers from Monday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway:

WINNERS

Ryan Blaney — Blaney stopped his winless streak at 59 races and gave team owner Roger Penske his second major race victory in two days. Blaney had the best car but had to fight through restarts late in the race to win.

William Byron — Byron, the winningest driver this season, barely missed getting victory No. 4. He finished second and scored his fifth straight top 10.

Martin Truex Jr. — Truex logged his third top five of the season.

23XI Racing — Bubba Wallace was fourth and Tyler Reddick fifth, giving 23XI Racing a pair of top-five finishes for the first time in a points race.

LOSERS

Jimmie Johnson — The seven-time champion admitted having problems adjusting to the Next Gen car on a 1.5-mile track. He crashed early and finished last.

Legacy Motor Club — It was a bad night for Jimmie Johnson and his team’s drivers. Johnson finished last in the 37-car field. Noah Gragson was 36th. Erik Jones placed 32nd.

Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin — Two drivers who had strong cars didn’t make it to the finish after crashing near the halfway point. Hamlin said Elliott “shouldn’t be racing next week. Right-rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. He shouldn’t be racing.”

NASCAR Xfinity Series results: Justin Allgaier wins at Charlotte

By Mike HembreeMay 29, 2023, 11:56 PM EDT

CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier finally broke through for his first win of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season Monday night.

Allgaier stretched his last fuel load over the final laps to finish in front of John Hunter Nemechek. Cole Custer was third, Austin Hill fourth and Ty Gibbs fifth. Gibbs ran both races Monday, completing 900 miles.

The win also was the first of the season for JR Motorsports.

Charlotte Xfinity results

Xfinity points after Charlotte

Justin Allgaier wins NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway

By Mike HembreeMay 29, 2023, 11:38 PM EDT

CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier won a fuel-mileage gamble to win Monday night’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Allgaier stretched his fuel to outlast second-place John Hunter Nemechek. Following in the top five were Cole Custer, Austin Hill and Ty Gibbs.

The victory was Allgaier’s first of the year and the first of the season for JR Motorsports. He has 20 career wins.

MORE: Charlotte Xfinity results

After a long day at CMS, the race ended at 11:25 p.m. The race started Monday morning but was stopped twice because of weather before it was halted with 48 of 200 laps completed so that the Coca-Cola 600 Cup Series race could be run.

When the race was stopped, Gibbs, Nemechek and Allgaier were in the top three positions.

Gibbs won the first two stages.

Stage 1 winner: Ty Gibbs

Stage 2 winner: Ty Gibbs

Who had a good race: Justin Allgaier has had good cars in previous races but finally cashed in with a win Monday. He led 83 laps. … John Hunter Nemechek, in second, scored his fifth top-two run of the season. … Cole Custer scored his sixth straight top-10 finish. … Ty Gibbs lasted 900 miles for the day and led 52 laps in the Xfinity race.

Who had a bad race: Sam Mayer was running 10th when he spun off Turn 2. He finished 35th. … Sheldon Creed finished three laps down in 28th.

Next: The series moves on to Portland International Raceway in Oregon for a 4:30 p.m. ET race June 3.

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WINNERS

LOSERS

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Charlotte Xfinity results

Xfinity points after Charlotte

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MORE: Charlotte Xfinity results

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