Denny Hamlin feels that NASCAR made the right call in drawing a line to govern the late-race crashes. NASCAR, by virtue, is a contact sport; there is no doubt about it, and this ruling against Austin Dillon won’t drastically change how drivers race. But Hamlin feels that for a long time, the desperate actions by drivers went unchecked. And this decision will set a precedent for NASCAR to take swift action.

Interestingly, Denny Hamlin has been on the bitter end of the stick in terms of being wrecked by his rivals. He even shared an example of how he could’ve been prevented from competing in the Championship 4 race during the 2020 season. All because Kevin Harvick wanted to grab a spot for himself by wrecking Kyle Busch at Martinsville.

Denny Hamlin wants NASCAR to set a precedent and stick by it

Rule changing is nothing new to stock car racing, every year, new rules are written with the hope of managing the affairs on the racetrack. Traditionally, NASCAR hasn’t snatched away a playoff spot from a driver by winning the race through unfair means. Although Dillon’s act of taking out Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin made for good TV, it painted a bad image of how the sport is run.

Hamlin feels that despite the recent call, drivers certainly won’t hesitate to bend the rules, and this is where NASCAR will have to police its new precedent. “I think there will be an opportunity when we go to Martinsville, and when we get to these other lower series, the last few years have been an absolute trainwreck of racing. Moments like this in our sport, there’s always opportunities to grow from it and get better, and hopefully, both sides get better.”

He went on to share his story about how he could’ve lost a spot in the championship race, all thanks to Kevin Harvick’s desperate move on Kyle Busch. “He might not like this, but when Kevin Harvick spun out Kyle Busch, now it didn’t result in him making it but he was trying to wreck Kyle to make the next round, and that would’ve knocked me out. Now, is that fair? That’s not fair; he shouldn’t be able to wipe someone out to move on to the next round.” Hamlin said this via the Actions Detrimental podcast.

Well, he just might have to backtrack on his words, as his own driver, Bubba Wallace, might resort to these tactics. With just two races left in the regular season, Wallace will have to throw a kitchen sink at his rivals to make the cut. It will be interesting to see what Hamlin’s stance will be in that scenario.

Bubba Wallace is in a tricky spot outside the playoff bubble

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After two top-five finishes, Wallace was on the brink of yet another crucial result at Michigan International Speedway. Entering the race 15th in the points standings, he was in a good spot to call it a day with sizeable points in his bag until the late race crash. He ended the race in P26, sustaining heavy damage to the car. He is now a point adrift from the cutline and banking on points to ensure his qualification.

However, the driver is well aware that nothing but a win could seal his fate. And that is exactly what he is banking on in the upcoming races. “Two races left; we’re still in the game, so throw Michigan away and on to Daytona. Our guys did a good job … to show up here with speed and made it better from practice. Had good track position all day, and it just didn’t work out,” he said after the race.

Daytona historically has been Wallace’s strong suit, but with three drivers riding the same boat, his path to the playoffs is expected to be dramatic.