NASCAR: Appeals panel upholds 25-point penalty to Denny Hamlin for putting Ross Chastain in the wall
Denny Hamlin did not get his 25-point penalty overturned for putting Ross Chastain in the wall at Phoenix.
An appeals panel ruled Thursday that NASCAR’s penalty against Hamlin should stay in place. Hamlin slid into Chastain and forced Chastain into the wall on the final lap of the race. Hamlin said the next day on his podcast that he intended to put Chastain into the wall, and NASCAR responded with a 25-point penalty and a $50,000 fine.
Just as a reminder.
I went on a podcast and apparently broke 3 rules 24 hours later. 50k and 25 POINTS.— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) March 30, 2023
After initially saying he would decline to appeal when the penalty was handed down, Hamlin reversed his decision and appealed the ruling. Hamlin finished that Phoenix race in 23rd and Chastain finished in 24th.
“It wasn’t a mistake," Hamlin said on his "Actions Detrimental" podcast. "No, it wasn’t a mistake. I let the wheel go, and I said he’s coming with me."
After much consideration I’ve decided that I will appeal the decision by NASCAR to penalize me.
What happened on Sunday was common hard racing that happens each and every weekend. There was also no manipulation of the race nor actions detrimental to the sport.— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) March 17, 2023
It was not the first time Hamlin and Chastain had a run-in. The two drivers tangled on the track multiple times in 2022 and famously played a game of chicken at Gateway after Hamlin went into the wall off Chastain's bumper.
In penalizing Hamlin, NASCAR cited a rule that says a driver can be penalized 25-50 points and fined for “wrecking or spinning another vehicle, whether or not that vehicle is removed from competition as a result.” It also cited a rule that said Hamlin’s actions could be found “detrimental to stock car racing or NASCAR.”
Hamlin will have the opportunity to appeal the panel's decision. He is currently 12th in the points standings and 75 points back of points leader Alex Bowman with the penalty in place. Without the penalty, Hamlin would be ninth in the standings.
Hamlin, 41, has become one of the most outspoken drivers in NASCAR, especially since he started 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan ahead of the 2021 season. He hasn't been afraid to discuss controversial or sensitive topics within the garage area and that willingness was a big reason he launched the weekly podcast at the start of the 2023 season.
His appeal loss also comes at the end of a busy appeals stretch for NASCAR penalties. On Wednesday, a different appeals panel largely upheld a parts penalty assessed to Kaulig Racing from Phoenix. That appeal decision came a week after another different appeals panel overturned the points penalty against Hendrick Motorsports for a seemingly similar infraction.
