Denny Hamlin called Elton Sawyer, disagrees with Kyle Busch about Daytona 500 controversy

Kyle Busch had some pointed criticism for NASCAR after Sunday’s Daytona 500, feeling he was robbed of the chance to return to the race after the multi-car wreck with 15 laps to go.

Busch believed he could have continued in the race but was parked by NASCAR in accordance with its new Damaged Vehicle Policy.

“I don’t know, I ain’t seen a replay,” a frustrated Busch told reporters after the race. “But we got beat by NASCAR procedures again, just not being able to get back out on the racetrack.”

Denny Hamlin revealed on Monday’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast that he spoke on the phone with Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition. Sawyer explained the rule to Hamlin, who determined that Busch was in the wrong with his argument.

Denny Hamlin details phone call with Elton Sawyer about Kyle Busch controversy

“I have to disagree with Kyle here,” Hamlin said. “You guys know I called Elton Sawyer because any time you have these controversial things — I appreciate Elton taking my call this morning. I wanted to be educated on this whole Kyle situation. Kyle was incorrect in saying you get three attempts to make speed. That is not the case. … First of all, it started because his lift jack system did not work. And it is up for debate on why it didn’t work. Kyle said that the tank they had didn’t have any air in it. It didn’t work and if that’s the case, that’s on the safety crew or NASCAR that your equipment is working. But again, we don’t know, we’ll take Kyle’s word for it on this one.

“So, because his system didn’t work, he wasn’t able to get plugged into. The air jack system brings his car up so he can then drive up to pit road. If he drives it to pit road, he then once the race goes back green, he has three laps to make minimum speed. But because he had to be towed to the garage because of a NASCAR tank problem or Kyle’s car problem… and if you start in the garage, when you come out because they give you unlimited time to fix it, you better have it right. Because you don’t get another chance after that.”

Kyle Busch rips NASCAR after massive Daytona 500 wreck

Busch’s No. 8 Chevrolet flew toward the inside wall on the track after the big wreck collected at least a half dozen drivers. However, he appeared to avoid the worst of the wear. Still, he was tied up by those procedures he mentioned. He explained.

“I had four flat tires out there and we have these air-jack systems in the car, mandatory by NASCAR. And the guy carries an empty air bottle to plug up to the car,” Kyle Busch said. “So, couldn’t plug it up so I could make my own return back to pit road. Said I just wanted a push. So, they decided for three laps to figure out how to hook it up to tow us back in. Towed us into a work area where our guys reviewed the car. Looked over the car, didn’t see anything massively wrong. All the wheels were pointed in the right direction. We put four new tires on it to go back out to basically see what the next process was going to be for us.

“And then was told that if you need to work on it and repair it you’ve got to go back to that place. But if you go back to that place, they park you. So, what are we supposed to do to continue to work on it now that we’ve got four new tires on it and all the wheels are pointed in the right direction?”

Daytona 500 slips away from Kyle Busch… again

Busch was overall frustrated. He had an opportunity to win his first Daytona 500 and snap a career-long 58-race winless streak. His bid ended and it wasn’t his fault. But as for those procedures, Hamlin believes Busch got them “mixed up.”

“Elton made it clear that once you leave the damaged area in the garage and say OK, we’ve got our car fixed, you better make speed at that point,” Hamlin said. “If you start on pit road and run a lap and you think it’s no good, if you got more time on the clock, you can come back to pit road, work on it. If not, you can take it back to the garage. Spend as much time as you need and work on it.

“But when you go back out, that’s your attempt. So, I think Kyle was just a little mixed up on the rules there. … To me, it’s pretty simple that when you go to the garage and you come back out, it has to be right. That’s why they give you as much time as you need to fix it.”