After a driver wins a race in the NASCAR Cup Series, their engine is handed over to the officiating body for mandatory inspection. Toyota Racing Development (TRD) recently revealed that they rebuilt Denny Hamlin’s race-winning engine from Bristol instead of handing it over and it resulted in massive repercussions for the #11 crew.
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NEWS: The No. 11 team has been issued an L2-level penalty for violating NASCAR's engine inspection requirements.
The team has been assessed with the loss of 75 driver and owner points and 10 NASCAR Playoff points. Crew chief Chris Gabehart has been fined $100,000. pic.twitter.com/FUfFNW7Uue
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 22, 2024
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was docked 75 points and his crew chief was fined a whopping $100,000. His title rivals Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott recently commented on the decision.
Larson and Hamlin’s history is no secret. The duo have had several on-track run-ins with each other. However, their on-track rivalry has not translated into a bitter off-track relationship.
Speaking about Hamlin’s penalty, Yung Money said that it was not warranted since it was a mistake and not a means to cheat. After all, the points deduction will surely affect the #11 driver during the playoffs.
“You guys might think I’ve been happy he got a penalty, but no. I was bummed to see that. It’s a huge penalty and one that can, for sure, affect your season in a negative manner. That goes a long way. You want everybody to have a fair shot. At least from what I understand, it wasn’t like they were cheating. It’s just a bummer for their team and for competition.” he opined.
Elliott and Hamlin also have history but even he was not happy with how things turned out for the JGR star. The drivers had respect for one another regardless of whatever has gone down between them on the track.
"I was bummed to see that because it's a huge penalty, one that can for sure affect your season in a negative manner."
Kyle Larson comments on Denny Hamlin's penalty from this week:
📹@tanner_marlar pic.twitter.com/FhPvCsF6Id
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) August 24, 2024
The Hendrick Motorsports star said that he wanted the #11 driver to be in that group close to the top fighting for the title. With the points deduction, Hamlin has fallen from near the top of the regular season championship.
“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,” the 2020 Cup Series champion explained.
Hamlin currently sits in eighth place on the regular season championship table, 111 points off the top spot. He did not have a day to remember at the Daytona International Speedway on Sunday either. The 43-year-old was forced to retire from the race due to extensive damage after a wreck. The veteran race car driver could only pick up one point as a result.
It remains to be seen what impact can Hamlin and the #11 crew can make at the upcoming Southern 500, a race where the Virginia native has historically fared well.
