“It Is Good to Be Transparent” – Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch Stand Against Dale Earnhardt Jr’s “It’s Silly” Assessment of NASCAR’s Decision

A few weeks ago, when NASCAR announced they’d be putting all confiscated parts from those who violate the rule book on public display just like they did in the old days, many were divided over if it was a good idea or not. But how this decision was perceived didn’t affect the decision itself from the governing body, as recently they put up parts from Stewart Haas Racing’s #14 on display after they were deemed illegal. This was something that Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin applauded.

The ex-teammates recently appreciated NASCAR’s decision to ‘publically shame’ those who break the rules after Chase Briscoe’s racecar was deemed to have a counterfeit part post the Coke 600 inspection. This had led to a massive penalty coming SHR’s way with 100s of points and a quarter of a million dollars in fines.

So at Sonoma, they displayed and explained the part which Tony Stewart’s team illegally modified, and this act by NASCAR got Hamlin and Busch’s approval.

Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin on NASCAR publicly shaming violators

Speaking about NASCAR displaying the counterfeit parts for the public, Busch claimed, “I think it’s kind of cool that they show all of that stuff; show exactly what’s going on and what guys are doing.” Echoing his sentiment was his former teammate Denny Hamlin, who added that showing the illegal parts in public “is a good thing.”

“Exposing, and kind of the public shaming, should be a deterrent. From what I saw, you almost have to think that was a mistake or just lack of judgement, for sure. But either way, it is not right,” Hamlin described as per RACING NEWS.

“[NASCAR] shows you that it doesn’t fit the template, so it just doesn’t fly with us. I think it is good to be transparent. The things that NASCAR is doing to be more transparent on the safety stuff and the technical stuff I think is all good.”

Brad Moran, Managing Director of the NASCAR Cup Series, displays the part in question from the No. 14 team’s penalty post-Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/97GNpmHnxt

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 10, 2023

Dale Earnhardt Jr wasn’t a fan of NASCAR’s decision to display illegal parts

When NASCAR announced the decision that going forward, they’ll be showcasing the confiscated and counterfeit parts for everyone to see, just as they did recently in Sonoma, Dale Earnhardt Jr explained his distaste for that decision on his podcast show.

“I don’t love it,” Earnhardt said. “I think it’s silly.” 

The reason why Junior had the opinion he did was because he argued that NASCAR will have to hire someone to stand there the whole day and showcase and explain the parts to every curious individual who wants to come by and have a look. This, as per Earnhardt, could potentially come in the way of regular track activities for the day.

However, NASCAR displaying the part from Briscoe’s racecar at Sonoma didn’t really affect the day’s proceedings all that much. So perhaps, Hamlin and Busch’s take on this subject stands over Earnhardt’s.