Denny Hamlin said on his show,Harmful actionsPodcast that Austin Dillon’s double-throw of himself and Joey Logano on the final lap of Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway was “over the line,” and urged Nascar Action taken against Richard Childress Racing driver.
Hamlin, who was hit by Dillon into the wall as the two approached the start-finish line, questioned why NASCAR had rules to prevent drivers from “running out of control on the racetrack” if they couldn’t enforce them.
Denny Hamlin angry over NASCAR’s lack of enforcement of its rules
“In a major sport, and because we like to put ourselves at the top of the world’s sports, there’s a reason for the judging,” Hamlin said. “I just don’t know why we’ve allowed things to get this bad over time. And I think you have a responsibility as a sanctioning body to set an example not only to your competitors but also to people coming up through the ranks to say, ‘This is how we race professionally. This is how racing works.’ … Let me ask you a question: If that’s not the limit, what is the limit? … He didn’t try to make a turn. He just drove his car until he wrecked it.” [Logano]Keep doing it until you destroy it.
“…It’s a gray area but I have the rules here. The general scope of the sanctions is the NASCAR deterrent system. NASCAR may issue sanctions as it deems appropriate to provide orderly conduct for the sport. NASCAR may make such decisions before, during or after an event and may consider,” he highlighted, “to the extent NASCAR reasonably deems it necessary in the interest of competition and the integrity of the race. any adjustments resulting from or required as a result of damages resulting from conditions during the race.” So, there are rules.
“… It’s called a deterrent system to keep us within limits of not getting out of control on the racetrack. And if that’s acceptable, if NASCAR didn’t rule on it yesterday, if it didn’t rule on it today, it won’t rule on it tomorrow, then tell me what’s not acceptable. Just hitting someone under caution? Are you saying you can do whatever you want on the racetrack, and there’s going to be no penalty at all? How can you take us seriously?”
Austin Dillon heads to playoffs after defeating Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin
Dillon was well-served by his advantage over Logano and Hamlin. He entered Sunday’s race 32nd in the points standings, out of contention for the playoffs. But now, Dillon is on the cusp of qualifying for the postseason. He will be part of the 16-driver group that NASCAR decided to deny him the win. A report on any penalties resulting from the incidents is expected Tuesday.
The flip side of this is Hamlin’s position as a car owner. The 23XI Racing co-owner doesn’t accept the message the sanctioning body is sending if it doesn’t penalize Dillon.
“As a car owner, I spend tens of millions of dollars making sure our cars are fast, and that my guys have an equal opportunity to go out and race,” Hamlin said. “However, if you’re telling me that someone can go out and intentionally wreck us, that’s not the sport I’m invested in. I have a problem with that.”
