Denny Hamlin’s quest for the NASCAR Cup Series regular season title has hit a major setback, and his path to his first Cup championship has become more challenging following NASCAR’s recent harsh sanctions. The sanctions were announced Thursday due to an engine violation linked to his victory in the March race.
The engine in question, supplied by Toyota and used by Hamlin in his Bristol win, was prematurely rebuilt by the manufacturer before it could undergo a mandatory NASCAR inspection. As a result of this oversight, NASCAR stripped Hamlin and his team of 75 championship points and 10 playoff points. Additionally, Hamlin’s chief mechanic, Chris Gabehart, was hit with a $100,000 fine.
Before the penalty, Hamlin was third in the standings, just 28 points behind leader Tyler Reddick. The penalty has now pushed him to sixth, placing him 103 points behind Reddick with just two races remaining in the regular season. His playoff points have also been significantly impacted, dropping from 21 to 11.
David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development, acknowledged the error and stressed that Joe Gibbs Racing was not involved in the engine disassembly process. NASCAR requires teams to use previously used engines, which are sealed to prevent tampering, in half of the regular-season races. The engines must be scheduled for use and reported to NASCAR at the start of the season.
Toyota Racing Development admitted to self-reporting the incident after the engine, which should have been inspected by NASCAR, was mistakenly sent back to their facility in Costa Mesa, California, and rebuilt. Wilson noted that while they were confident the engine met all legal standards, the error prevented NASCAR from performing the proper inspection.
To prevent future incidents, Toyota Racing Development has updated its procedures and added additional steps to its process. Wilson expressed regret for the incident, apologizing to Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart, Coach Gibbs, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing team, NASCAR and the fans for the oversight.
Bob Pockrass, a veteran motorsports reporter for FOX Sports, reports on the developments. Pockrass has extensive experience covering NASCAR and has written about numerous major racing events throughout his career.
