It’s rare for the rule-following veteran Denny Hamlin to be on the other side of penalties. However, this time he was! NASCAR penalized driver Denny Hamlin and his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, for tampering with the engine of Hamlin’s race-winning car from the Bristol Motor Speedway race in March 2024. The penalty included Hamlin’s 75 points and 10 playoff points, a hefty fine of $1,00,000 for Gabehart, and the confiscation of Hamlin’s winning engine. NASCAR accused Toyota of rebuilding the engine before NASCAR inspectors could examine it.

Hamlin, who was previously third in the Cup standings and 28 points behind table topper Tyler Reddick, dropped to sixth and out of contention for the regular-season title with two races remaining. His playoff points fell from 21 to 11, leaving him less room for error in the opening three races of the postseason. Losing on the coveted playoff points has clearly left the veteran unhappy, especially when it’s not his fault but that of Toyota. In reaction to the incident; he said, “It’s hard to not feel and be negative in the moment. And I am in the moment. I feel negative about it, not about the decision or anything like that, just about our season and potentially what it could or couldn’t do.

Hamlin’s championship hopes are in trouble

Although Hamlin and the #11 team are the ones getting penalized, TRD took full responsibility for the blunder. TRD president David Wilson said, “TRD is solely responsible for the handling and disposition of all our engines pre- and post-race. Despite procedures being in place, Denny’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to our Costa Mesa facility [in California], disassembled and rebuilt instead of being torn down and inspected by NASCAR per the rulebook.”

What happens is NASCAR enforces rigorous engine regulations, requiring inspections for any rebuilds, decommissioning, or transfers. A broken or tampered seal on the engine block is a serious violation, resulting in an automatic L-2 penalty according to the rulebook. This measure ensures the integrity of the engines and maintains a level playing field for all teams. Well, they broke the rule and faced the consequences. You would expect his colleagues to be pleased by this ruling, but they weren’t. Kyle Larson, who will greatly benefit by this, said, “I was bummed to see that because it’s a huge penalty. … You want everybody to have a fair shot, and at least from what I understand, it wasn’t like they were cheating. It was just a mistake. But a mistake is a mistake, and you have to pay for it.”

Also benefiting from this is Chase Elliot, who was pushed to P2 in the points table. He echoed Larson’s emotions when he said, “I hate that because I want to race Denny. I want him to be amongst that group because they do a really good job. Anytime you can go head-to-head with them and outdo a team of that caliber, it’s a good thing, and it’s healthy.”

Regardless of any penalties, Hamlin is still going to the playoffs, as he bagged three wins this season. What the #11 is worried about is losing yet another chance of winning the championship, which he’s longed for so long. Such a penalty at such a crucial point of the season is devastating for the JGR driver.

Denny Hamlin’s 2024 championship chances?

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Hamlin, in his two-decade-long Cup Series career, has never once won the Championship. The #11 team looked strong this year but now these penalties will harm the team’s chances. A significant 75-point penalty nearly halved Hamlin’s playoff points, dropping him from third to sixth in the standings. This setback allowed Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron to surpass Hamlin in the rankings, significantly impacting the championship race. Before this, Hamlin had the opportunity to win the regular season title, but that is no longer possible. Instead of comfortably entering each of the three playoff rounds with a points advantage, now Hamlin will have to bag several wins to advance to the championship 4 in Pheonix.

Who’s to say Hamlin will stay in the 6th position after the regular season ends? It is not a guarantee that he will have good finishes in Daytona and Darlington! This especially concerns considering the significant playoff point bonus for the regular season champion. Which is 15 points and the second place gets 10, the third, 9, and so on until 10th place. Depending on Hamlin’s next performances, the 11 teams’ chances of the championship will become clearer. And do you know, this is not the first time Hamlin has been in a situation where his championship chances are in trouble?

Back in the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, in the round of 8, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano had a heated encounter during the Martinsville Speedway race. Logano’s aggressive driving tactics led to a collision with Hamlin, which caused Hamlin to spin out and lose ground. The incident, which occurred late in the race, damaged Hamlin’s championship hopes as he was eliminated. But what about now? How deep has this wound cut?

Let’s hope this penalty isn’t a repeat of the 2017 results for the #11. Do you think Hamlin can win the championship this year? Let us know in the comments below.