NASCAR is no stranger to controversy, and this season has been particularly rife with them. Denny Hamlin found himself in hot waters after admitting on his podcast that he intentionally wrecked Ross Chastain in Phoenix. NASCAR fined Hamlin for his actions, which he appealed but ultimately lost. Hendrick Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, and Daniel Suarez—all have had to face NASCAR’s ire this season. Even Richard Childress Racing’s #3 team was hit with an L1-level penalty following the April 16 race at the Martinsville Speedway. The team and driver Austin Dillon were slapped with a penalty and a fine, and a two-week suspension for the crew chief. Amidst all of this, Denny Hamlin savagely joked about NASCAR’s obsession with him, prompting further discussion and scrutiny.

Denny Hamlin jabs at NASCAR amid recent RCR penalty

During a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin and his co-host Jared Allen discussed the recent controversy surrounding the modified part that led to an L1-level penalty getting imposed on Richard Childress Racing.

Jared Allen pointed out that NASCAR officials met with media members to display and explain the specific modified part that led to the penalty issued to the #3 team. He said,

“Did you get a chance to look at RCR? I heard from Jeff Gluck’s podcast […] that they had some sort of set up inside the three-hauler that they could show media what exactly, what rules they broke and how they broke them.”

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In turn, Hamlin took a jab at NASCAR and said,

“I wonder did any podcast bring that up about showing parts that were illegal at any point. Maybe that happened a few weeks ago. I don’t know but certainly, NASCAR’s listening and that was a good change, a very good change, that they put that out there.”

Hamlin was faking modesty as he said that NASCAR was probably still tuned in to the Actions Detrimental podcast, hinting at an obsession that the governing body might have with him.

Richard Childress Racing’s penalty upheld

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The controversy surrounding the modified part in Richard Childress Racing’s #3 car, which led to an L1-level penalty, has sparked a lot of conversation in the NASCAR community. The #3 team was hit with a 60-point penalty, a $75,000 fine, and a two-week suspension for crew chief Keith Rodden.

The modified part in question is a splitter stay, which is one of six bars that connect the splitter to the frame of the body as part of the overall underwing. Each bar is supposed to feature three separate securing nuts, but on the specific bar utilized by the #3 team in Martinsville, those three nuts were bonded together, creating one singular piece instead. This disabled the locking function of the nuts and allowed for further movement and adjustability after pre-race inspection.

NASCAR officials met with media members to display and explain the modified part, as well as the severity of the infraction. The officials explained that adjusting the splitter manipulates the floor of the vehicle, which is the most aerodynamically powerful section of the car. Even a single turn of the modified part could create a significant adjustment and give a driver an unfair advantage. The #3 team appealed the penalty, but it was upheld by the National Motorsports Appeals Panel.

The controversies surrounding Denny Hamlin and Richard Childress Racing raise important questions about NASCAR’s transparency and fairness. While it is commendable that NASCAR is taking steps to display and explain illegal parts to the media and team members, it is important that they do so consistently and without bias towards certain drivers and teams.

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