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Chase Elliott trying to look forward, ignore Denny Hamlin talk at Martinsville

By Nick Tylwalk

FONTANA, CA - MARCH 17: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 17, 2018 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
FONTANA, CA - MARCH 17: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, stands in the garage during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway on March 17, 2018 in Fontana, California. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Chase Elliott is keeping Denny Hamlin’s name out of his mouth and trying to focus on the race ahead of him, even as seemingly everyone else wants to look back.

For most NASCAR fans, this weekend’s STP 500 at Martinsville will open the book on short track racing for the season, a welcome change of pace from what’s been served up so far. For Chase Elliott fans, though, it’s also a return to the scene of the crime.

Even though the 22-year-old son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott is one of the most popular and talented young stars in the sport, he’s still famously chasing (pun somewhat intended) his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. He’s come close on numerous occasions, finishing runner-up in seven different races. But perhaps his best chance at a victory came at Martinsville last fall, when he came in 27th in the First Data 500.

Elliott supporters know why, but just to set the scene, he had been running in the top 10 most of the day and was leading the race in its closing laps. Then, Denny Hamlin happened.

That run-in brought out a side of Elliott most had rarely seen as the two drivers confronted each other after the race — though it’s one his crew chief says will emerge again in 2018 if need be. He also got some measure of payback before the season ended.

Maybe that’s why Elliott told reporters this weekend at Martinsville Speedway (via NASCAR.com) that he’s not thinking about “The Incident” as much as everyone else.

"My reaction is everybody’s got to try to write a story, right? It’s been a long time ago, last October to now has been a good while back. … I can’t do anything about it. So for me, when I think about that night, I try to make myself think about things that our car was doing that made us good and just try to run laps in my head."

That’s admirable but also wise. The fall Martinsville race had the highest of stakes, with Elliott not only chasing that elusive first Cup Series win but drivers also jockeying for a chance to compete for the championship. Getting wrecked by Hamlin essentially took him out of the running.

"There was a lot that was laying on that race. It wasn’t just a win, it was a chance to win a championship. That obviously had a lot of implications. It doesn’t matter. It didn’t happen. I can’t turn back time. We all know the implications of the things that could have been, but they weren’t."

There’s no such added dimension to the spring race, and thus no need to get too tangled up in what happened before. It is, as athletes like to put it, just another race.

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The backdrop for this one is the way that Hendrick Motorsports has struggled out of the gate. If the playoffs started today, Elliott wouldn’t even be in the field, so there are definitely more important things for him and his team to worry about than where Hamlin is running.

His fans are less likely to forgive and forget. Expect them to pay extra close attention to where the 11 is in relation to the 9 on Sunday, and if they’re battling for or near the lead in the closing stages of the STP 500, everyone is going to be holding their breath.

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