Kevin Harvick Claims Denny Hamlin ‘Got Away’ After Jumped Restart Startled Frenemy MTJ in Richmond

We are fast approaching the next race this weekend, yet Richmond does not seem to cease being a hot topic. Denny Hamlin stole the thunder at the 400-lap race owing to a tumultuous twist in the tale in the last two laps. He snatched the victory right from under the nose of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. And how the situation unfolded raised eyebrows in the NASCAR community.

Many people labeled Hamlin a cheat, as he arguably rushed from the restart zone. NASCAR officials reviewed the situation and released multiple statements, yet nobody was satisfied with their response. Now retired driver Kevin Harvick added his own take on the topic.

Harvick rules against the legality of Denny Hamlin’s tactics

Hamlin jumping the restart at Richmond riled up Martin Truex Jr significantly. The veteran NASCAR driver had led for over half of the race, only to lose to Hamlin who led not more than 15 laps. NASCAR officials reviewing the situation and letting Hamlin off the hook hiked Truex’s anger even further. Even Richard Petty supported Denny Hamlin.

But if it’s any bit of consolation for Truex, Kevin Harvick took his side. In an episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, he explained his take. “When we first showed the replay at the end of the race, everything happened, and it was hard to tell…Definitely looked like he rolled before the line. Well when you go back today, he definitely went way before the line and took off.” He further added, “So Denny took off early, got away with it, and won the race.”

Harvick also carefully analyzed Denny Hamlin’s situation, showing how the latter used his talents. “As a driver, you know you wanna go as early in the process as possible to take off so that you get the advantage on the outside guy. You don’t wanna wait in the box. You would wanna go at the very beginning of the box to be able to take off.”

Denny Hamlin harped along similar lines after the race, as he justified his actions. His decision was on point, as he noticed that Joey Logano and Truex were after him. He admitted that he “went right at it”, adding, “I wasn’t going to let them have an advantage that my team earned on pit road. Certainly made sure I went to my nose, got there, but I took off right away. Still, we were side by side down the water into Turn 1.”

Many in the racing community were outraged because NASCAR did not take appropriate action against Hamlin. Yet recently, a spokesperson for the sanctioning body explained their stance in detail.

NASCAR official said lack of certainty was why Hamlin was acquitted

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A while back, VP competition of NASCAR, Elton Sawyer, said that if it had been earlier on in the race, a proper call could have been taken. Recently, a NASCAR spokesperson expanded on this. “NASCAR officiates lap 1 to 400 (or whatever number) the same. That’s the goal. But when there’s a potential penalty that needs to be reviewed, and done so with two laps remaining at a short track, the sense of urgency is extremely high – much higher than at ‘lap 10, or 50 or 300.’”

He further added, “When it’s at the end of the race, and the stakes are high – taking a win away from someone is obviously a considerable penalty – we need to feel 100 percent confident in our decision to take a win away.” 

So lack of time and certainty allowed Denny Hamlin to hold on to the track position he and his team gained from one excellent pit stop and eventually win the race.

Read More: ‘Educated’ Denny Hamlin Found NASCAR’s Solution to Stop Drivers Duping on Restarts