It was a wild scene in Martinsville for Sunday night’s NASCAR Playoff Series as Denny Hamlin bumped race leader Chase Elliott into a wall with only three laps to go.
In a race filled with cautions, Kyle Busch ended up winning after an overtime restart where he pulled ahead of Hamlin in the final moments as a massive wreck broke out down the front stretch behind the leaders.
After the race, things got a bit feisty between Hamlin and Elliott. Down the backstretch, Elliott steered his car into Hamlin’s before the two drivers angrily exchanged words right out on the track.
While tensions between the two drivers seemed to calm a bit, the scene got even stranger as a frustrated fan got within a few feet of Hamlin in pit row trying to pick a fight. The fan was seen screaming and berating the driver before a member of Hamlin’s crew and security appeared to push back the angry fan and break up the altercation.
Shortly after all of the post-race shenanigans were finished, Hamlin sent out a message on social media apologizing to Elliott and his fans for the spin.
Hamlin said that the move was not intentional, called it a life lesson, and hoped to get past it.
The race pushed both Hamlin and Elliott to the bottom of the Round of 8 playoff standings. Following the completion of this playoff round, the top four drivers will race head-to-head at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November for the title.