Denny Hamlin loses appeal for intentional contact penalty

The National Motorsports Appeals Panel upheld Denny Hamlin’s appeal, where he was penalized for manipulating the outcome of a race. Hamlin was fined $50,000 and lost 25 points for his incident with Ross Chastain in the final laps of the Phoenix NASCAR Cup Series race. Hamlin finished 23rd, and Chastain finished 24th.

Hamlin very likely would have gotten away with what he did without penalty, but he admitted to intentionally running into Chastain on his podcast the day after the race. On Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, Hamlin revealed that he “let the wheel go” and said, “He’s coming with me.” Hamlin was upset at Chastain for being wrecked by him at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, as well as previous incidents, and when he dropped back in the pack, he decided to get payback on Chastain.

Even though Hamlin felt he had a case, past instances from other drivers made an overturn rather unlikely. Other drivers have been penalized for “attempting to manipulate the outcome of the race,” so by that logic, NASCAR felt they had to do something to remain consistent.

While it’s understandable to believe that NASCAR’s hands were tied and they had to do something, it might cause drivers not to be so candid about what goes on the track. A NASCAR executive admitted that they likely wouldn’t have penalized Hamlin unless he spoke about it on his podcast. So essentially, Hamlin was busted for his honesty.

Either way, we’ll be sure to hear Hamlin’s reaction to his denied appeal on the next episode of his podcast.

[NASCAR]