NASCAR drops the hammer on Denny Hamlin and JGR for Bristol violation

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin competed in last week's Bass Pro Shops Night Race held at Bristol Motor Speedway, and NASCAR slammed his #11 team with a penalty. The race was scheduled for Saturday, September 13, and Hamlin's teammate, Christopher Bell, won it.

Hamlin qualified among the top 10 drivers on the grid. The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver began the 500-lap main event from sixth place with a best lap time of 15.19 seconds and a top speed of 126.31 mph. Additionally, pole sitter AJ Allmendinger was just 0.07 seconds ahead of him.

However, Denny Hamlin struggled during the race and lost some ground in Stage 1, finishing in P11. In Stage 2, he switched gears and gained a spot, wrapping the stage in P10. Then, in the race's final stage, he faced a major setback after making contact with the pole sitter, Allmendinger. On lap 384 of the 500-lap race, Hamlin's front right wheel came loose.

Following that, NASCAR slammed him with a two-lap penalty. However, this was not the case. The governing body suspended two crew members: front tire changer Austin Maloney and jackman Joel-Alexandre Bouagnon. After receiving the penalty, Joe Gibbs Racing postponed the execution for a week.

"Joe Gibbs Racing has deferred the penalty a week, allowing both to be on Hamlin’s crew Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway," Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports stated (via NBC.com).

The two crew members will miss the Kansas Speedway and Charlotte Roval races of the Round of 12. However, they will support Denny Hamlin in the first race of the next phase of the playoffs, the Mobil 1 301, scheduled for Sunday, September 21, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

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“Not even my concern”: Denny Hamlin gave his verdict on the Bristol Motor Speedway penalty

After wrapping the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Denny Hamlin shared his take on the penalty on his Actions Deterimental podcast. During the episode, Hamlin claimed not to worry about the crew for the next race but instead focus on the things he has control over.

However, upon receiving the penalty, the JGR driver called it an 'unfortunate' incident. However, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver pointed out that he was not 'concerned' about the crew change but about the things he could control in the next race.

Denny Hamlin further explained:

"I have no idea who's sitting on the bench or who's ready, and it's not even my concern...cuz that's the crew chief. He manages the people. Um, there's nothing I can do about it. You know what I mean? My concern needs to be on the things that I can control."

After facing a penalty, Denny Hamlin finished the Bristol Motor Speedway race in P31. Additionally, his team, Joe Gibbs Racing, dominated the first round of the playoffs, securing wins in all three races.