NASCAR: Denny Hamlin will lose more than 10 playoff points

As a hardcore NASCAR enthusiast with decades of racing under my belt, I can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Denny Hamlin. The 75-point penalty he received after the engine infraction at Bristol Motor Speedway has certainly thrown a wrench into his playoff aspirations.

Last week, NASCAR imposed penalties on Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team due to a breach of engine inspection rules, which was reported by Toyota following Hamlin’s victory at Bristol Motor Speedway in late March.

The team was discovered to have breached Sections 14.7.1.E&F and 14.7.1.1.B&E of the NASCAR Rule Book, because Toyota prematurely rebuilt the engine used to win the race at Bristol before NASCAR had a chance to disassemble it for inspection.

Hamlin suffered a penalty of losing 75 regular points and 10 playoff points, but he managed to retain his victory at Bristol. However, this win is no longer applicable for playoff qualification or tiebreaker considerations. Despite that, he maintains two other wins – one from Richmond Raceway and another from Dover Motor Speedway – which secure his spot in the four-round, 10-race postseason.

For Hamlin, losing ten playoff points means a significant setback. This number equals roughly the points he would earn from winning two races, and these playoff points serve as bonus points added to every championship-eligible driver’s total after the point tally is reset at the start of each playoff round (excluding the Championship 4).

In the past, there have been cases where drivers have moved forward to a round with significantly less than a 10-point advantage. Some of these instances even resulted in drivers advancing based on a tiebreaker.

But the even more unfortunate reality for Hamlin is the fact that he is going to lose more than just 10 playoff points.

Prior to a 75-point deduction, Hamlin found himself in third position in the overall standings, trailing the leader by 28 points.

Originally, he was in sixth position, trailing by 103 points, but after Saturday’s race at Daytona International Speedway, he has moved down to eighth place, now with a gap of 111 points, with just the final race of the regular season at Darlington Raceway left on Sunday night.

If there were no penalty imposed, he would be positioned in fourth place, trailing by 36 points. However, due to the penalty, he has been removed from competition for the regular season title.

In simpler terms, at the end of the main racing season, points are given to drivers who rank among the top 10 in the overall standings. The champion gets 15 points, the second-place finisher gets 10, and third place earns 8 points. However, the number of points awarded decreases by one for each position down from fourth place to tenth.

It’s uncertain at this moment how significantly the 75-point penalty will affect Hamlin’s position in the final regular season point rankings. However, if he finishes in eighth place instead of fourth, he would earn three extra playoff points rather than seven.

Currently, his playoff points stand at 11, a reduction from its initial 21. If the regular season ended now, his points tally would be 14.

If there were no penalty, the total would be 28 points. In essence, this means a decrease of 14 playoff points. Compared to only 10 points, this substantial difference has often been crucial in determining which teams have advanced and which ones haven’t during the playoffs in previous seasons.

Hamlin, who had 21 playoff points prior to the penalty, earned these through three wins (each worth five points) and six stage victories (one point per win). He still has a chance to accumulate additional playoff points by securing more race victories and stage wins during the remaining regular season and playoffs, as long as he remains eligible for the championship.

Listen in on USA Network at 6:00 PM Eastern Time this coming Sunday, September 1st, to catch the live telecast of the Cook Out Southern 500 from Darlington Raceway. This event will mark the conclusion of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season. Sign up for a free trial of FuboTV today to ensure you don’t miss any of the excitement!

2024-08-30 15:02