NASCAR insider: Denny Hamlin would have lost playoff spot after penalty

Denny Hamlin was docked 75 driver and owner points and 10 playoff points for an L2-level penalty from NASCAR, and his punishment could have been severe enough to knock him out of the playoffs altogether if not for some fortuitous circumstances.

The violation involved his engine from the race at Bristol, a race Denny Hamlin won. Because of that, his win there no longer counts toward the playoffs.

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Luckily, that wasn’t Denny Hamlin’s only win on the circuit this year.

He also won races at Richmond and at Dover, securing him a spot in this year’s playoffs despite the big hiccup with Toyota Racing Development. So he can breathe at least a little easier, though the penalty still has plenty of bite.

So what happened, exactly?

The rule Denny Hamlin violated, which TRD took responsibility for, reads as follows: all race-winning engines “will be long block sealed by NASCAR and must be completely inspected by NASCAR before the engine may be disassembled by the team. If the team chooses to use the long block sealed race winning engine again before being inspected, the engine must be used in the same vehicle number the next time it is used.”

NASCAR also released a statement breaking down the violation.

“Each race-winning engine must be inspected by NASCAR once the race team determines that its life cycle is complete,” a NASCAR statement read. “In this instance, prior to presenting the engine to NASCAR for inspection, Toyota Racing Development disassembled and rebuilt the No. 11’s Bristol-winning race engine. Per the NASCAR Rule Book, this violation results in an L2 penalty to the race team and driver. Toyota Racing Development self-reported this violation.”

Denny Hamlin’s team was more or less blindsided by the development, with TRD taking full ownership of the miscue.

“As the engine builder for our partner NASCAR Cup Series teams, TRD is solely responsible for the handling and disposition of all our engines pre- and post-race,” a statement from TRD read, as relayed by NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck. “Despite procedures being in place, Denny’s race winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to our Costa Mesa facility, disassembled and rebuilt instead of being torn down and inspected by NASCAR per the rulebook.

“Although we know with absolute certainty that the engine was legal and would have passed inspection, we left NASCAR in an impossible position because they were not given the opportunity to properly inspect our engine. We have reviewed our processes and have implemented several additional steps to ensure that this never happens again. TRD takes full responsibility for this grievous mistake, and we apologize to Denny, Chris, Coach Gibbs, the entire JGR organization, NASCAR and our fans.”

Luckily, it won’t cost Denny Hamlin the playoffs. But it might well cost him a shot at the regular-season championship and will make his playoff aspirations a much tougher task.