“That’s a Big If…”- Denny Hamlin Gets Cautious About NASCAR’s Inconsistency Costing 23XI and Bubba Wallace Big Time

After an 80-race winless streak, Alex Bowman finally rode into Victory Lane at Chicago Street Course, securing a coveted playoff spot. Although, it was only the eighth Cup Series win for the 31-year-old, it didn’t come without rain and a sprinkle of drama. An incident between Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace became the talking point of the race, as an on-track spin on Lap 25 resulted in a retaliatory door slam during the cool-down lap. Talk about trading blows!

With NASCAR confirming that officials will look into the incident to determine if further action is needed, Denny Hamlin has spoken about how their inconsistency could cost Bubba Wallace and 23XI Racing big time.

Denny Hamlin sheds light on NASCAR’s decision-making process

It all began on Lap 25, when Alex Bowman spun out Bubba Wallace, sending the 23XI driver into the wall. The incident didn’t just cost Wallace track position, but also a shot at winning the race. Having started the race in sixth place, behind Shane van Gisbergen, Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota was on quite a run before the incident. The 30-year-old made his displeasure at Alex Bowman known, door-slamming his No. 48 Chevrolet during the cool-down lap and pushing him into the wall. It didn’t help that Bowman finished first, while Wallace finished 13th in the race either.

Speaking about the incident on the Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin podcast, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was asked about the process that is followed by NASCAR following such an incident, in case there is a potential penalty or fine. In response, Hamlin replied, “I think that it starts with a conversation more than likely. More than likely, Elton Sawyer in this instance would reach out to Bubba, have a conversation with him, have a conversation with Alex. That’s typically how they say they want to do it.”

“They didn’t necessarily do that in mine and Ross’ instance at Phoenix. They kind of took our word for it here on the podcast. They said typically what they want to do is, if there is an incident involving two drivers, retaliation, they reach out to both parties to get the facts and then they make a decision from there. If they view this egregious, that’s what they would do. That’s a big if.”

Denny Hamlin is understandably wary about NASCAR’s dealings with such situations. After all, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver received a $50,000 fine and was docked 25 points after being found guilty of making intentional contact with Ross Chastain at Phoenix in 2023. Given the ‘process’ NASCAR has, none of it was followed when Hamlin was found guilty as per Sections 4.4: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct.

Elton Sawyer, senior Vice-President of Competition of NASCAR told reporters in the aftermath of the incident in Phoenix that on-track contact and retaliation between drivers are handled on a case-by-case basis, and the impact of the incident in the two drivers’ finishing positions was what resulted in the penalty. Hamlin was sixth before the race’s restart, and ended up 23rd, one spot ahead of Ross Chastain.

According to Denny Hamlin, if NASCAR decides to go a similar route in assessing the incident between Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace at Chicago Street Course, it could cost the 23XI Racing driver big time. It’ll be interesting to see if Bowman’s post-race comments may influence NASCAR’s decision, especially since the Hendrick Motorsports driver has absolved Wallace of any blame for the cool-down lap incident.

Alex Bowman has his say on the tangle with Bubba Wallace

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While Bubba Wallace has not publicly commented about the incident, race-winner Alex Bowman has graciously taken responsibility for his role on Lap 25. Moreover, the Arizona native has also validated Wallace’s post-race actions, urging NASCAR to not penalize the 23XI Racing driver for the door slam during the cool-down lap. However, if NASCAR does choose to go that route and hold Wallace accountable, it could potentially be the start of a new rivalry on the grid.

After the conclusion of the race, Alex Bowman said, “The restart was chaotic. I just made every wrong decision I possibly could, and I was fighting with my windshield wiper switch trying to get the thing working and I couldn’t get it working. I was focused on that, missed the corner and cleaned him out. I locked all four tires up and slid right into him. I just messed up and absolutely ruined his day.” Speaking about the post-race incident, Bowman said, “He barely hit me. It was fine, and it was plenty deserved.”

The win in Chicago was Alex Bowman’s first since 2022, propelling him into the playoffs. His first Cup Series race win was in Chicago as well, having won the final race at Chicagoland Speedway in 2019. While Bowman has taken responsibility for the incident, it’ll be interesting to see what NASCAR will do in the coming days. Both drivers will hope to put the incident behind them at HighPoint.Com 400 at Pocono Raceway next weekend, but that will be easier said than done, particularly if Bubba Wallace is penalized.

Do you think NASCAR should punish Bubba Wallace for the cool-down incident? Let us know in the comments!