The 2024 season could not get any more dramatic. Right before the playoffs, Denny Hamlin is on the controversy charts after the Austin Dillon theatrics at Richmond. The untimely dismemberment of his Bristol Motor Speedway race-winning engine by Toyota Racing Development (TRD) resulted in 75 points and 10 playoff points penalty for Hamlin. Additionally, his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, has also been fined $100,000 by NASCAR for an engine inspection violation.

With these penalties, his campaign is now in serious jeopardy. To make matters worse, Denny Hamlin is also facing the wrath of fans and the NASCAR community from all sides. But looks like the response from NASCAR fans over his penalty has now reached a breaking point for the #11 Toyota driver. He has come up with a fitting reply to those who are spewing hatred on Hamlin for what, according to him, is nothing but a mistake.

The backlash from the penalty is too much for Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin has never been shy of speaking his mind. The 43-year-old was outspoken when the Austin Dillon wrecking incident at Richmond Raceway contained the racing world with mixed reactions. Hamlin was at the forefront of calling it a planned error from the Richard Childress Racing team and Dillon himself. Now when Joe Gibbs Racing and Hamlin himself are involved in a serious scandal, fans thought that maybe the sharpness of his words would tone down a bit. But looks like that is not the case.

Speaking to journalists before the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, the 43-year-old gave a serious reply to people who are now questioning Denny Hamlin and his team at Joe Gibbs Racing, as recorded by Frontstretch. Hamlin said, “I think that negative people will have a negative outlook on it certainly, but anyone with any education on the subject would know that it was an isolated incident and you know everyone makes mistakes.”

While it is the first reaction from Hamlin to the haters, this is not the only reaction he had on the matter. Earlier, Denny Hamlin had expressed his concerns about the impact that this penalty would have on his racing prospects this season. Disappointed with the heavy penalty, Hamlin said, “This format rewards regular-season excellence, and it allows you to have a not-perfect day and still be able to race for a championship (if a driver has enough points). Now I’m back there in the middle where I’m very vulnerable in some spots.”

The racing community has been all but supportive during this scandal. Many racers with stringent on-track rivalries with the 41-year-old have openly supported Hamlin during this incident. One such name supporting Denny Hamlin is the Hendrick Motorsports ace racer Kyle Larson. Despite being an arch-rival of Hamlin in the Cup Series, Larson was supportive of Hamlin and said the following, “You guys might think I’ve been happy he got a penalty, but no, I was bummed to see that because it’s a huge penalty.”

Not only that, Larson highlighted the fact that all racers should get equal opportunities to compete. Larson further added, “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.” Other racers who openly expressed their support for Denny Hamlin include JGR Martin Truex Jr and Chase Elliott.

Acknowledging Hamlin for the competitor he is, Elliott said, “I hate that because I want to race Denny. 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.” Fellow racers supporting Denny Hamlin is one thing. But the sympathies and support sentiments for Denny Hamlin have been scarce. While the entire racing community is two ways about the whole scandal, fans have left no stone unturned in making life difficult for Hamlin.

Fans continue to smell something fishy

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The issue has raised eyebrows on social media from fans. People have continuously raised questions on the matter. Serious concerns around the timing of the scandal and the seriousness of the penalty are constantly flagged by NASCAR fans. Calling the entire incident a doing of the Karma for Denny Hamlin, a fan commented, “So we had to listen to Denny whine all week about how Austin didn’t race the right way but he was probably running with a tampered engine? That’s karma.” Hamlin was at the forefront of calling out Austin Dillon for the wrecking incident. The 43-year-old called it a deliberate move from the RCR racer and his team.

Then there are other fans directly trolling Hamlin and calling him names. Comments like “F**KING CHEATER” and “He should be disqualified from the playoffs!” are a common sight for the 43-year-old. The reason for such a reaction is a mix of feelings of the fans on the matter. While some fans are disappointed by the incident, others didn’t expect Denny Hamlin to be involved in such an incident. The name-calling, too, is becoming a common sight for Hamlin. A fan ruined the name of his popular podcast as “Actions Hypocritical.” While taking a satirical jibe at the integrity of the racer simultaneously.

What are your thoughts on the entire scandal? Do you blame Denny Hamlin for the incident? Let us know in the comments down below.