Why Did NASCAR Fine Denny Hamlin Back in 2013?

Sometimes, sports governing bodies can be quite sensitive. In an era where public figures try their best to be politically correct, the early 2000s did not witness this, especially in NASCAR. The sport grew a lot stricter, and in 2013 it reached new heights; poor old Denny Hamlin found this out the hard way. This was when the Gen 6 car had just made its debut, and it faced mixed reactions.

Although the design was great, it did away with a lot of great racing. This was evident in that year’s Daytona 500, which many consider being the worst one ever in the history of the sport. This was not a one-time thing, as, at the following race in Phoenix, there were no overtakes in the final 78 laps of the race.

What did Denny Hamlin say that got him in trouble?

Naturally, the drivers were furious at the lack of competition, and none were more outspoken than Denny Hamlin. So what did Hamlin say that got him in trouble with NASCAR? During the post-race interview, he said, “I’m not going to try to be the pessimist, but it wasn’t as good as I would hope. There’s a lot of room for improvement for this car. It’s going to be tough, its going to take a little while for us to get these cars driving as good as what we had in Gen 5.”

Looking at this statement from the outside, it didn’t paint the Gen 6 car in a positive light. At the same time though, it was not at all scathing. Unfortunately, NASCAR did not see it that way and slapped the Joe Gibbs Racing driver with a $25,000 fine. Their justification was that he overstepped his boundaries of what the drivers were supposed to say about the car.

This infuriated the drivers and the fans, and they directed their ire at the sanctioning body. Hopefully, there isn’t a similar situation with the Next Gen cars when they make their debut this weekend.

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