NASCAR Penalizes Denny Hamlin with Points Deduction

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — NASCAR has imposed a significant penalty on Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, docking him 75 points and 10 playoff points, effectively eliminating his chances of clinching the regular-season title. The penalty stems from an incident involving Hamlin's race-winning engine from the Bristol Motor Speedway event in March, which was rebuilt by Toyota before NASCAR could conduct its mandated inspection. Additionally, Hamlin's crew chief, Chris Gabehart, has been fined $100,000. The sanction was a result of a self-reported error by Toyota Racing Development (TRD), which TRD president David Wilson described as a "grievous mistake." NASCAR's decision aligns with its standard penalties for teams that modify engines prior to inspection. Following the penalty, Hamlin, who was previously third in the Cup standings, has dropped to sixth place, now 28 points behind leader Tyler Reddick, with only two races left in the regular season. Hamlin's playoff points have also been reduced from 21 to 11, complicating his chances in the postseason. Wilson emphasized that Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin's team, was not involved in the engine's disassembly, stating that TRD is solely responsible for engine management. He acknowledged that the engine was legal and would have passed inspection, but the mishap left NASCAR unable to perform its required checks. In response to the incident, Toyota has committed to implementing additional measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future.