Denny Hamlin's Team Penalized for Violation of NASCAR Engine Rules

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team, with Denny Hamlin as the driver, has been penalized by NASCAR due to non-compliance with engine inspection requirements. The penalty, announced in August, relates to an engine used in a race in March at the start of the season. This L2-level penalty includes the deduction of 75 points for both Hamlin and team owner Joe Gibbs. Additionally, they have lost 10 playoff points, which could impact their aspirations for the season. Crew chief Chris Gabehart has also been fined $100,000.

The violation is related to sections 14.7.1.E&F and 14.7.1.1.B&E of the NASCAR rulebook. According to these regulations, all race-winning engines must be sealed and inspected by NASCAR before the team can disassemble them. However, Hamlin's engine, which won at Bristol in March, was mistakenly sent to Toyota Racing Development (TRD) facilities in Costa Mesa, where it was disassembled and rebuilt without undergoing the mandatory NASCAR inspection.

Toyota Racing Development issued a statement taking full responsibility for the error. They explained that, although they are confident the engine would have passed inspection, the fact that it was not inspected left NASCAR without the opportunity to verify it. TRD has assured that they will review and reinforce their procedures to prevent something similar from happening again.