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

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NASCAR favorite Chase Elliott was absent from Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Race at World Wide Technology Raceway after he was suspended for intentionally crashing into Denny Hamlin in the Coca-Cola 600 last week. 

While most drivers have seemingly supported the disciplinary decision, a comment from NASCAR president Steve Phelps ahead of this past weekend’s race has left some fans confused. 

Chase Elliott prepares to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on May 13, 2023, in South Carolina. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)

According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, Phelps said Saturday that the decision to suspend Elliott was based on the precedent that had been set when Bubba Wallace was suspended in October after he crashed Kyle Larson at the NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

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"It would be difficult to have a conversation with Denny or Bubba or someone else and say, ‘Hey, it was not OK for Bubba to do it and it's OK for Chase to do it," Phelps told Pockrass.

"We hate it but it's a call we needed to make."

It was Phelps’ final remark that left fans scratching their head. 

"So if I’m reading this right, Phelps really didn’t want to suspend Elliott. I’m assuming they didn’t want the backlash," one user wrote.

"Why would they ‘hate’ making the right call? He deserved the suspension 100%," another user responded. 

Chase Elliott during driver introductions before the NASCAR Daytona 500, Feb. 19, 2023, in Daytona Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

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