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Denny Hamlin’s quest for the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season title faced a major setback, and his journey towards clinching his first Cup championship became more challenging following NASCAR’s recent severe sanctions. These penalties were announced on Thursday due to an engine violation linked to his March race victory.
The engine in question, provided by Toyota and used by Hamlin in his Bristol race win, was prematurely rebuilt by the manufacturer before it could undergo a mandatory NASCAR inspection. As a result of this oversight, NASCAR has stripped Hamlin and his team of 75 championship points and 10 playoff points. Additionally, Hamlin’s chief mechanic, Chris Gabehart, has been hit with a $100,000 fine.
Prior to the penalty, Hamlin was third in the standings, only 28 points behind the leader, Tyler Reddick. The penalty has now pushed him down to sixth place, placing him 103 points behind Reddick with only two races left in the regular season. His playoff points tally has also been significantly affected, dropping from 21 to 11.
David Wilson, the president of Toyota Racing Development, acknowledged the mistake and emphasized that Joe Gibbs Racing was not involved in the engine’s disassembly process. NASCAR requires teams to use previously utilized engines, which are sealed to prevent tampering, in half of the regular season’s races. The engines must be scheduled for use and reported to NASCAR at the season’s start.
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 stressed that while they were confident the engine met all legal standards, the error prevented NASCAR from performing their due inspection.
To prevent future occurrences, Toyota Racing Development has updated their procedures and added extra steps to their process. Wilson expressed regret over 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 seasoned motorsports journalist with FOX Sports, reports on these developments. Pockrass has an extensive background in covering NASCAR and has reported on numerous major racing events throughout his career.
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