Dale Earnhardt Jr. has publicly commented on the significant penalties imposed on NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and his team after it was discovered that their race-winning engine had bypassed NASCAR’s mandatory inspection process.
Hamlin, a leading figure in the sport, received severe penalties when NASCAR found that Joe Gibbs Racing had used an engine that hadn’t undergone the required inspections.
Although this issue was not discovered until months later, the penalties were immediate and harsh. They included a reduction of 75 driver and owner points, along with 10 playoff points, which severely impacted Hamlin’s championship chances.
The penalties had substantial consequences. Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gabehart, faced a $100,000 fine. Additionally, the point deductions dropped Hamlin from third to sixth in the overall standings, reducing his total from 786 to 711 points.
Hamlin’s playoff positioning also suffered, placing him in a less advantageous sixth position.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. took to X (formerly Twitter) to discuss the situation, painting a clear picture of the penalties while addressing any suspicions of engine tampering. “It’s wild. This happened in March at Bristol,
where engine performance isn’t crucial (which makes me confident there was no intentional tampering). Considering the tire management issues during the race, it’s a big disappointment for Hamlin and his team,” Earnhardt noted.
Earnhardt also expressed doubts about the logic behind any alleged tampering, arguing that it would be unlikely for a team to risk such tactics at a track like Bristol. “If you’re going to cheat on the engine, Bristol isn’t the place to do it,” he said.
In response to the penalty, Toyota TRD, the engine supplier for Joe Gibbs Racing, issued a statement. David Wilson, president of TRD, explained, “As the engine builder for our NASCAR Cup Series teams, TRD is responsible for handling and managing all engine inspections before and after races.
Despite having procedures in place, Denny’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly sent back to our Costa Mesa facility, disassembled, and rebuilt, rather than being inspected by NASCAR as required by the rulebook.
“While we are certain the engine was legal and would have passed inspection, we left NASCAR in a difficult position because they were unable to inspect the engine properly. We have reviewed and updated our processes to prevent this from happening in the future.
TRD takes full responsibility for this serious mistake and apologizes to Denny, Chris Gabehart, Coach Joe Gibbs, the entire Joe Gibbs Racing team, NASCAR, and our fans.”
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