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NASCAR penalized Denny Hamlin for an on-track incident with Ross Chastain during Sunday's race in Phoenix. The driver received a $50,000 fine and a 25-driver points deduction.
Along with that, a raft of other penalties were announced for Hendrick Motorsports drivers and Justin Haley concerning the modification of hood louvers. Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Haley have all been docked 100 driver points. Hendrick Motorsports and Kaulig Racing have also received fines and penalties for their actions.
Hamlin, who previously occupied the seventh position, has dropped down to the 12th position after the deduction. Ross Chastain would be leading the standings if Hamlin hadn't taken him out at Phoenix. He currently trails Kevin Harvick by three points.
With five drivers receiving points deductions, the driver's standing has undergone a huge shuffle. Veteran driver Harvick leads the driver's standings, followed by Ross Chastain.
Christopher Bell, who had a solid start to the season, occupies the third position. Ryan Blaney and a resurgent Kyle Busch round off the top five.
Here is the complete pecking order ( * indicates race winners):
Why did NASCAR penalize Denny Hamlin?
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin openly admitted on his podcast 'Actions Detrimental' to having taken out Ross Chastain at the final restart in the previous race. Hamlin and Chastain, running in the top ten positions, finished 23rd and 24th respectively after the incident.
The two drivers have a history of colliding with and bumping into each other since the previous season. Since an incident in June, the two drivers have had several run-ins, notably at Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Pocono Raceway. The duo also bumped into each other at the pre-season event where Chastain spun Hamlin.
Hamlin admitted:
"It wasn't a mistake. I let the wheel go and I said he's coming with me."
The officials then decided to intervene by docking 25 driver points and levying a fine of $50,000. The governing body stated that the #11 driver had violated Section 4.4 of the NASCAR rulebook.
NASCAR mentioned the following sections while stating the penalties:
Sections 4.4: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct
B. - Attempting to manipulate the outcome of the Race or championship. - Wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from Competition as a result
D. - Actions by a NASCAR Member that NASCAR finds to be detrimental to stock car racing or NASCAR.
Elton Sawyer, senior vice president of competitions, initially viewed the contact as a racing incident. He further revealed that Hamlin's confession on the podcast instigated action to be taken.
He said:
"We think that's great to interact with the fans. But when you start admitting that you have intentionally done something that would compromise the results of the end of the race, then that rises to a level that we're going to get involved."
"There's no other way to look at that. We were going to get involved in that situation. We've been consistent in the past with that and we will be consistent going forward."
Hamlin announced via social media that he won't be appealing the penalties.
