Chase Elliott suspended from the next NASCAR race after collision with Denny Hamlin

2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott has managed to land himself into a pickle as the sport recovers from a dramatic race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was seen driving during the Coca-Cola 600 on the 1.5-mile-long track when he came together with fellow driver and competitor Denny Hamlin, essentially ending both their hopes of a good finish.

Lap 186 out of the 400-lap-long event saw both drivers battle hard for position on the track, with Hamlin pushing Elliott wide and into the outside wall. This triggered a retaliatory response from the Dawsonville, Georgia native, which saw him hook Hamlin's #11 Toyota Camry TRD in the right rear quarter panel.

Denny Hamlin was sent head-on into the wall in a violent fashion as he crashed out of the race. With telemetry and SMT Data proving Chase Elliott's intentions behind the move which were unclear before, NASCAR stepped down on the #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver's actions.

Slated to miss next weekend's Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway, better known as Gateway, Chase Elliott's playoffs bid this season seems to have taken yet another blow.

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Corey LaJoie to replace Chase Elliott in the next NASCAR Cup Series race

The #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 usually seen driven by Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Cup Series will see a third driver drive it around this season.

After being driven by Josh Berry who filled in on Elliott's behalf after a snowboarding accident, Corey LaJoie is destined to be in the cockpit after last Sunday's events at Charlotte.

After NASCAR re-affirmed Chase Elliott's mistake during last Sunday's Coca-Cola 600, the Hendrick Motorsports driver will be seeing the Spire Motorsports driver of the #7 Chevrolet behind the wheel of his car as he sits the race out for the weekend.

Often touted as a great driver with not always the best of machinery to play with, Corey Lajoie might just be a diamond in the rough, suddenly facing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for driving one of the best cars in the field.

On the other hand, NASCAR has successfully managed to set a precedent for drivers with respect to retaliatory wrecks after imposing the same penalty handed to Bubba Wallace for his tussle with Kyle Larson at Las Vegas last year.

Watch the Enjoy Illinois 300 go live from WWT Raceway this Sunday at 3:30 pm ET on FOX Sports.