When the mission pylon caught the eyes of several drivers at Talladega, the NASCAR world was left shaken. Beginning with Denny Hamlin’s protests, fans also voiced their concerns. Being a convenient scoring tower in the middle of a race track, a pylon displays the 10 drivers in the leaders’ pack. Drivers, fans, and spotters- all use pylons for tracking the high-speed drama.

Yet the track where Denny Hamlin snatched his most recent victory had its much-loved scoring board in place. Hamlin posted a bold image on his win, taking a jibe at NASCAR’s pylon removal antics. However, some fans are wary of the sanctioning body’s next moves.

Fans shush Denny Hamlin for mocking NASCAR

Denny Hamlin’s ardent pleas for pylon restoration were based on his earlier experiences. A famous video from 2013 features Hamlin setting a new lap record in Charlotte. His fans watched from Turn 1 as he rocketed around the 1.5-mile oval and snagged the checkered flag. Then, almost on cue, everybody’s eyes shot towards the pylon which displayed a bright yellow number 11.

Hence when Denny Hamlin roared towards the Victory Lane at Dover Motor Speedway last weekend, a similar sentiment must have rushed through fans. The extant scoring tower displaying his Joe Gibbs Racing car number elicited thunderous cheers from Hamlin fanatics.

In line with his unfiltered, bold attitude, Denny Hamlin mocked NASCAR’s $5 Million pylon dilemma. He posted a photo on X, of himself smiling gleefully and pointing his index finger at the top of the pylon, where ‘11’ glowed brightly. Hamlin tweeted: “Pylon works”.

As hilarious as this NASCAR troll post was, Hamlin fans were afraid of the sanctioning body’s unpredictable nature. One fan asked Denny Hamlin to cease his mockery, fearing repercussions: “Stop it Denny, you’ll scare Nascar!!” Another chimed in, saying the executive body is like a beast that Hamlin should not awake: “You just out here poking the bear.”

One fan hilariously played out what other fans feared: “Nascar – “So you want us to tear it down? Ok. We’ll get on it.”” Another fan spoke it as clearly as one could: “Watch five days later nascar takes it down.”

Another NASCAR fan pointed out that Speedway Motorsports might be tickled to drown Denny Hamlin’s bliss, in light of the recent SMI chief scuffle with the driver. “… until SMI realizes that they forgot about Dover. “Oh, we missed one.””

NASCAR has taken down pylons at Talladega, Bristol, and Watkins Glen already. Citing financial and technical concerns, they may add more tracks to the list. But various people have cited their concerns. An Xfinity crew chief recently spoke about it in an EssentiallySports exclusive interview. Similarly, an off-NASCAR racer also voiced his concerns.

ARCA driver underlines pylon significance

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Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s iconic 33-position pylon was unveiled in 2014. The high-tech scoring tower also adds tracking of lap times, miles per hour, and time intervals behind the race leader. NASCAR drivers are not the only ones who enjoy this pylon. The ARCA Menards Series holds races there as well, and last year’s Daytona ARCA winner Greg van Alst highlighted the value of the pylon.

“You can definitely see them when you’re on the track, so it’s nice to have them,” said van Alst. “It’s nice for the spotter to be able to see them. I’m from the Indy area, so the most famous pylon in the world. I’m all for them. I’m not really a big fan (when) they started taking him away. I’m hoping it’s just they’re going to rebuild them or something.”

As drivers and fans alike are wary of pylon removal, maybe NASCAR will divert some funds to rebuild these convenient towers.