The Denny Hamlin Rule

NASCAR Issues Penalty in #11 Team

By Richard Tix

On Tuesday Twitter started a frenzy when NASCAR rumors came out that Denny Hamlin and the #11 team might be hit hard by the new NASCAR rules. Talk went around by fans and media that the team could be hit with the first P5 penalty issued (Need a review? Check out NASCAR's New Penalty System).

Hamlin fans waited in anticipation of what NASCAR might hit the team with after they were found to have illegal rear firewall block-off plates at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. "The block-off plates are intended to keep fluids, smoke and fire from getting to the driver’s compartment. Air flow through the block-off plates, in theory, can provide additional rear down force, which could help at a track like Indianapolis." (Jim Utter. Charlotte Observer. NASCAR penalizes Denny Hamlin, Sprint Cup team).

NASCAR finally announced the penalty they had decided on and Twitter went off like it normally does when a big NASCAR announcement comes out. The penalty? Denny Hamlin was docked 75 points in the standings which moved him all the way down to 21st overall. Hamlins Crew Chief Darian Grubb and Car Chief Wesley Sherrill were also suspended 6 races. So in a sense, he will be out the rest of the regular season until the Chase starts. Both will be on probation for the remainder of the year once they return.

On top of that Grubb was fined $125,000 and car owner J.D. Gibbs was docked 75 owners points. The announcement came as a big blow to the #11 Toyota team and the Twitter world. Many on social media saw it as NASCAR putting there foot down and laying out the law.

I think since then the reality has sunk in that NASCAR was trying to lay down the law, but did they really? "This should send a message that for anyone who attempts to overstep or bend the rules, it’s not worth it. We revised our penalty and appeal processes to make the system more effective, fair and transparent. That was something all of our competitors asked for." 

True, the new system is a little more straight forward and should provide a bit more fairness in rulings (and less gray area), but it still puts some teams and drivers at a disadvantage. 

Did this penalty really hurt Denny Hamlin in the long run? Not really. Hamlin is still in the Chase if it ended today because of his win at Talladega. Plus, he is still in front of Almirola and Kurt Busch in points (both have wins). With 6 races left in the 2014 regular season and only 11 different winners, NASCAR will not see more then 16 winners (my opinion, not a fact, but mark it down). So his win will put him in the Chase.

But, think if a guy like Tony Stewart had this penalty. His Chase chances would be gone other than if he could win in the last 6 races. Or Ryan Newman, all the work they have put in to get in on points would be negated. But, if you have a win already in 2014 you may as well cheat.

Yes, that is what you heard from me. The guys that have a win have another advantage other then knowing they're in and they can try legal things (like fuel strategy or car set ups), they also can CHEAT and it wont hurt them in the long run.

I do believe it will hut the #11 team a bit. This is because they have had and up and down season as it is and they needed to find some chemistry in the last 6 races. Now, it will be dramatically harder to get that chemistry with there leader on the box out. 

For the most part, this rule infraction didn't hurt there team. In fact, now they know that NASCAR will catch any change of the rear firewall block. NASCAR had to make this call, it was not only a rules infraction but also a safety concern because smoke or flames could have entered Denny's area much easier. But, by changing the rules of the Chase points early this year they also shot themselves in the foot with the new penalty system. NASCAR wanted it to be more straight forward and fair, but all we got was straight forward, we are still waiting on the fair part of the deal. 

So who is this really hurting and if NASCAR is sending a message who is it sending it to? This ruling just showed the teams with a win (which is mostly top tier teams already) that they can cheat during the regular season if they already have a win. So, Denny Hamlin and the #11 team will move on and we as fans will see them in the Chase, but how will NASCAR handle the elephant in the room? Will a tweak in the new penalty structure come after the season? Will we remember it as the Denny Hamlin Rule? Only time will tell.