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DAYTONA, FL – FEBRUARY 16: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. speaks to the media prior to the Daytona 500 on February 16, 2020 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 16 NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series – DAYTONA 500 Icon2002163617500
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DAYTONA, FL – FEBRUARY 16: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. speaks to the media prior to the Daytona 500 on February 16, 2020 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fl. Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire AUTO: FEB 16 NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series – DAYTONA 500 Icon2002163617500
During the week following the races in Phoenix, there was a lot of drama in the NASCAR scene away from the tarmac. Evidently, the officials went to town while dishing out penalties, and the biggest story involved Hendrick Motorsports. However, another big storyline emerged when Denny Hamlin openly admitted to wrecking Ross Chastain deliberately. The officials found out and slapped him with a penalty for his honesty. In light of this, Hamlin was reluctant to appeal the penalty, but Dale Earnhardt Jr had a different take on the matter.
In conversation with co-host Mike Davis during a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Junior mentioned, “There are some instances in the past year where this points penalty is consistent. Like, William Byron last year, penalized 25 points, $50,000, after he wrecked Denny Hamlin at Texas during a Playoff race.
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Now Byron appealed that; which Denny says he’s not going to appeal it. Byron appealed and it was dropped to 0 points and a $100,000 fine […] Byron was more than happy to pay that $100,000 and get the points.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr wanted Denny Hamlin to appeal the penalty
Dale Jr continued, “I think Denny should appeal this, I think he should appeal it based on that alone. This was a Playoff race that all this went down between William and Denny. Bubba spun during the Texas Playoff race in 2019. He admitted it on NBC Sports, that he had done it on purpose to gain a caution. He was [fined] 50 points and $50,000.”
In all honesty, Dale Jr was not surprised that the situation on track played out like it did. He noted that Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain had been at each others throats since 2022. The two rivals clashed multiple times last year, and the rivalry bled into the 2023 campaign as well.
Denny Hamlin finally reconsidered his stance and elected to appeal
Admittedly, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s resolve did not last and he eventually opted to lodge an appeal. As per Dale Jr’s testimony, it is the wiser course because the points regained will prove valuable. Of course, Hamlin will always try and gun for a race win just for the sake of insuring his spot in the Playoffs.
After much consideration I’ve decided that I will appeal the decision by NASCAR to penalize me.
What happened on Sunday was common hard racing that happens each and every weekend. There was also no manipulation of the race nor actions detrimental to the sport.— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) March 17, 2023
For now, Hamlin will be anxiously looking forward to the rest of the 2023 Cup season. Hopefully for his team’s sake, he stays as far away from Ross Chastain as possible. The last thing he needs is to tangle with the #1 driver and incur more penalties.
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