In the recent Round of 8 opener at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR shook things up by cracking down a few penalties that were not seen so commonly before. The penalties issued by NASCAR to drivers like AJ Allmendinger and Chase Elliott have sparked discussions in the NASCAR world. The penalty was a big deal for Elliott, who is still in contention for the owner’s championship. And like always, Denny Hamlin has his own take on this decision by NASCAR.

NASCAR’s approach to rule enforcement has evolved significantly over the years. A decade ago, breaking the rules seemed to be more commonplace, with drivers often testing the limits of what they could get away with. However, as NASCAR embraces a more stringent stance on rule enforcement, a crackdown on laid-back restarts is now in full swing.

Denny Hamlin embraces the laid-back restart penalty that made life difficult for Chase Elliott

At Las Vegas, NASCAR penalized two drivers, Chase Elliott and AJ Allmendinger, for laying back during restarts. On the final restart, Elliott found himself penalized, relegating him to a 31st-place finish, with a lap down on the leaders.

The penalty stemmed from NASCAR’s determination to eliminate laid-back restarts, a practice that has irked many drivers and fans alike. It involved maintaining a gap behind the car in front and making a sudden move to gain an advantage. This time, Chase Elliott bore the brunt of the penalty.

Denny Hamlin welcomed NASCAR’s stern actions with open arms. Hamlin had long been an advocate for stricter penalties on laid-back restarts. And he didn’t hold back in expressing his joy. On a recent episode of his podcast, Actions Detrimental, Hamlin commended NASCAR for its strict stance against this questionable strategy used by some drivers.

In the podcast, Hamlin didn’t mince words and said, “They did penalize 2 drivers for laying back. Good job, NASCAR, great job! We have to have that. This is gonna get the attention of the drivers. When someone had it in the beginning… AJ, they [Hamlin’s crew] just said they busted the #16 for laying back, stay tightened up. Like my team would tell me that. And then they get the #9. So, they are putting a line that they’re saying they’re not gonna put up with it.”

“Certainly, this is what we asked for and I applaud them for doing this because it had gotten out of hand. We saw how awful that restart was at Kansas at the end with [the] guys laying back. So, I like this move certainly, and hopefully, it changes some people’s mindset when it comes to laying back on restarts… it’s saying that we [NASCAR] will do it. Chase’s car is a contender for the playoffs. I mean, they are in the owner’s championship. So they took it seriously by dinging him,” Hamlin concluded.

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While Chase Elliott may not be able to clinch a driver’s championship this year. He’s still a contender in a different race – the owner’s championship.

How did Chase Elliott end up in this unconventional title hunt?

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While Chase Elliott found himself on the receiving end of a NASCAR penalty, there’s more to his season than just driver championships. He is technically one of 17 drivers vying for the coveted NASCAR Cup Series Owner Championship.

Elliott’s journey in the playoffs has been nothing short of extraordinary. Despite not securing a spot in the driver playoffs after missing seven of 26 regular-season races due to injuries and suspension, his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team remains in contention for the owner’s championship.

Elliott’s #9 Hendrick Motorsports team earned its place in the owner playoffs by besting Bubba Wallace‘s 23XI Racing team, securing the 16th and final spot. He may not be eligible to win a driver’s championship this year. But he’s got a chance to deliver a second owner’s title to Rick Hendrick‘s #9 team in four years.

The team overcame a playoff points deficit, entering the owner playoffs with only one point earned by Elliott’s stage one win at Talladega Superspeedway. They added another point by winning stage two at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval during the round of 12. However, they find themselves in eighth place in the owner playoff standings as they aim to rise above the Championship 4 cut line.

READ MORE: Chase Elliott Makes Cathartic 7-Word Admission Moments After Being Jeopardized by Goodyear

Do you think Elliott can take his team all the way and win the owner’s title for Mr. H? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.