“Been Taken Out of the Rule Book”: Denny Hamlin Proclaims Penalty Defies NASCAR’s Rules

Denny Hamlin was not a happy camper when he was slapped with a hefty penalty last month. After a coming-together with his rival, Ross Chastain, one would say that he brought it upon himself. This was because he openly confessed to wrecking Chastain deliberately on his podcast. NASCAR was made aware of the open admission of guilt, hence it went ahead and imposed a $50,000, 25-point penalty. Hamlin lodged an appeal, but at the end of the hearing, the National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld the penalty.

Later, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver explained his reasons behind the appeal on the Actions Detrimental podcast, saying, “This was casual contact by two hard racing rivals. That’s a fact! Can’t twist it any other way, right?

“My intent doesn’t matter, that’s been taken out of the rule book. I just really feel like we made a strong case. Gave the panel a list of 35 of the last retaliatory incidents.”

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin | Credits: Imago

Denny Hamlin cited several examples to back his argument

According to the #11 driver, it had nothing to do with intention and his penalty was undeserved. Furthermore, he went and did his research on previous intentional wrecks. He insisted that his own incident was rather tame compared to the other more egregious moments that have been witnessed over the past few years in Cup Series.

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He continued, “Every one of them [retaliatory incidents] that has a monetary or a point penalty has either been someone wrecked someone under caution. Safety vehicles are out there. It’s a dangerous moment. It was a right rear hook. So basically you go down the straightaway, you turn right on somebody and you hook them right in the fence and destroy them. It resulted in a caution because the wreck was so severe, that it was a caution.

“Mine was none of these. None 0f them! It shouldn’t even be on the page of the last 35 retaliatory incidents.

“That’s what scares me about this.”

Hamlin’s frustration is understandable, but for now, there is nothing that he can do but accept the penalty. However, the good news is that the season is long and he will have many chances to perform well so that he doesn’t have to feel the sting of these 25 points.

READ MORE: “They Cheated” – Denny Hamlin Calls Out NASCAR After Billionaire Rick Hendrick’s Team Restored Their Championship Points While His 25-Point Penalty Remained the Same