NASCAR: Another driver could be hurt by Denny Hamlin’s penalty

NASCAR: Another driver could be hurt by Denny Hamlin's penalty

As a die-hard NASCAR fan with over two decades of watching races under my belt, I must say, this Hamlin penalty saga has left me scratching my head. It’s like watching a thrilling race only to find out that the victory lap was a tad too early due to an oversight.

In simple terms, Denny Hamlin from Joe Gibbs Racing clinched victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in mid-March, which was his third win during the 26-race regular season. For over five months following this win, it was considered just another triumph, not given any special recognition.

That is, until Toyota self-reported an infraction stemming from the victory last month.

The race-winning engine from the “Last Great Colosseum” was mistakenly rebuilt by the manufacturer before NASCAR was given the opportunity to tear it down and inspect it. Though there was no competitive advantage gained, this mistake meant that the No. 11 team fell afoul of Sections 14.7.1.E&F and 14.7.1.1.B&E of the NASCAR Rule Book.

Hamlin was hit hard with penalties, losing 10 playoff points and 75 regular season points.

After accumulating three victories and six stage wins, Hamlin amassed a total of 21 playoff points. However, this number was subsequently reduced to 11 due to penalties. Interestingly, the penalty actually cost him 13 playoff points instead of the initially thought 10. This is because his 75-point regular season deduction caused him to drop three positions in the standings.

Initially holding fourth position, he fell three spots to seventh, earning just four more playoff points rather than seven. Consequently, he began the four-round, 10-race postseason with 15 points instead of the initial 28.

In simpler terms, during the NASCAR playoffs, bonus points are given to every eligible driver before each competition round, except for the final four. Before the Round of 16 begins, every driver’s total is reset to 2,000 points. So, with an additional 15 playoff points, Hamlin started the Round of 16 with a total of 2,015 points.

Hamlin penalty could cost another driver.

As Hamlin slipped from 4th to 7th in the season standings, three other drivers managed to advance their positions. Christopher Bell, a teammate of Hamlin, climbed up to 4th place from its initial 5th position. William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports advanced from 6th to 5th, and Ryan Blaney of Team Penske moved up from 7th to 6th.

Since Hamlin got penalized, each driver climbed up one spot higher in the regular season rankings than they otherwise would have. As a result, every one of them pocketed an extra playoff point.

If, which is unlikely, one of the drivers progresses to the next round by just one point more than another driver due to Hamlin being penalized, then that other driver would have missed out on a place in the next round because of Hamlin’s penalty.

Let’s use a random hypothetical scenario to illustrate this point.

In case both Blaney and Joey Logano end up with equal points in the round of 12, they would be tied for the last spot moving into the round of 8. However, since Blaney has a superior best finish in the round of 12, he would break the tie and advance to the next round instead of Logano.

Without Hamlin’s penalty that awarded Blaney an additional playoff point, I’d be one point ahead of him right now, securing my advancement instead of my teammate.

In some instances, it’s not uncommon to find tight contests where slight differences or even ties decide which participants move forward from one stage to another.

A driver unconnected to Hamlin’s penalty might unexpectedly be disqualified, due to repercussions stemming from the infraction that occurred six months back.

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are set to continue this coming Sunday, September 15 at Watkins Glen International for the Go Bowling race. This is the second event in the round of 16. Tune in starting at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network. Don’t miss a moment of the thrilling action on the renowned New York road course! Sign up for a free trial with FuboTV now and catch all the excitement live!

2024-09-13 15:02