Nascar Imposes Substantial Penalty On Driver Hamlin Following What Toyota Describes As A Serious Error.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In a major blow to Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, NASCAR has announced a substantial penalty of 75 points and 10 playoff points. This penalty effectively eliminates any chances Hamlin had of winning the regular-season title and significantly complicates his journey towards a championship.

The severe punishment was imposed due to the rebuilding of Hamlin’s race-winning engine from Bristol Motor Speedway in March by manufacturer Toyota. The engine was rebuilt before NASCAR had the opportunity to inspect it, which led to the hefty penalty. Furthermore, Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gabehart, was fined $100,000.

The mistake was self-reported by Toyota Racing Development (TRD), with TRD President David Wilson acknowledging the gravity of the error. NASCAR, following its standard penalty protocol for any team found to have tampered with an engine before inspection, issued this penalty.

As a result of this penalty, Hamlin, who was ranked third in the Cup standings and trailing leader Tyler Reddick by 28 points, has now dropped to sixth place and is no longer in contention for the regular-season title with just two races left. His playoff points have been reduced from 21 to 11, significantly limiting his margin for error in the opening three races of the postseason.

Wilson clarified that Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin’s team, was not involved in the disassembly of the engine and that TRD assumes full responsibility for the handling and disposition of all engines.

“Despite procedures being in place, Denny’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to our Costa Mesa facility in California, disassembled, and rebuilt instead of being torn down and inspected by NASCAR per the rulebook,” Wilson said in a statement.

Wilson emphasized that they were certain the engine was legal and would have passed inspection, but due to the mishap, NASCAR was denied the chance to properly scrutinize it.

Toyota has taken immediate measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future, according to Wilson.