It’s been over three weeks since the Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Yet, we are still stuck discussing the penalty saga prior to and during the race. Denny Hamlin recently saw his fine of $50,000 and docking of 25 points being upheld by the National Motorsports Appeal Panel. It is a disappointing outcome, considering his arguments which many would deem genuine and valid.

Hamlin publicly admitting to wrecking Ross Chastain horribly backfired for him. Post that, he was punished under Section 4.4.B of the NASCAR rulebook. The rule calls for a penalty citing an attempt to manipulate the outcome of the race or the championship. However, Hamlin went in depth to explain what NASCAR was charging him with.

Hamlin lists the charges imposed on him by NASCAR following his five-digit loss

The $50,000 penalty and 25 docketed points hit Hamlin hard. It was difficult to fathom especially when NASCAR did not find him guilty until he admitted it on the Actions Detrimental podcast. However, after the Appeal Panel’s decision, he took to his podcast and talked in detail about the saga. He specifically indicated the charges filed against him by the governing body.

The 42-year-old said, “So charge one was racing manipulation, I manipulated the finish of the race. Second was, this is key, that I crashed or spun a vehicle.” It gets interesting here as Hamlin explains, ” Over the off-season, they [NASCAR] removed the word “intent”, [it] was taken out of the rulebook, so what I say on my podcast, I don’t know what it matters, my intent does not matter.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has a point here. Given the fact that since NASCAR couldn’t find any intent during the race, it is contentious how they made so much out of Hamlin’s admission itself. This made him regret his decision to speak about the incident. He said, “So I believed which is my fault, my mistake, that I could speak freely on Monday [on the podcast]. The race was over with and my intent does not matter, right?”

While his point may have been valid there, Hamlin further stated what NASCAR actually might have taken into account. He said, “And then actions detrimental to the sport, they [NASCAR] deemed we can’t have you basically going out there and making a mockery of our officiating I guess. Basically, this is a bad look, drivers can’t be going around saying around they are going to wreck or spin others and go do it.”

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The way NASCAR went about this is questionable. If they were to hold Hamlin accountable, they should have done it right after the race. It is only natural why the three-time Daytona 500 winner feels frustrated. In fact, the governing body only added more to his frustration after what happened during the appeal process.

Denny Hamlin gets furious as NASCAR drops a last-minute rule change

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Given the arguments Denny Hamlin had, he looked more than set to prove his point at the appeal. However, he was taken aback when NASCAR dropped a bombshell about a rule change while he was in the middle of his appeal.

The rule stated that the appeal panel no longer had the authority to strike off the point reductions completely. Additionally, a minimum and maximum range is to be defined under which such reductions can take place.

WATCH THIS STORY: “Nothing Has Changed” – Denny Hamlin & Dale Earnhardt Jr. Break Their Silence as NASCAR Drops a Massive Bombshell

Clearly, this would have annoyed Hamlin much more than expected. Was NASCAR right here to penalize Hamlin after his admission? If so, what does this mean for a driver’s free speech? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.