David Wilson, President of TRD Weighs in On Denny Hamlin Winning Racing Engine…
“As the engine builder for our partner NASCAR Cup Series teams, TRD is solely responsible for handling and disposition of all our engines pre and post-race,” Wilson stated, via Bob Pockrass.
Despite procedures being in place, Denny’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to our Costa Mesa facility, disassembled and rebuilt instead of being torn down and inspected by NASCAR per the rulebook.
“Although we know with absolute certainty that the engine was legal and would have passed inspection, we left NASCAR in an impossible position because they were not given the opportunity to properly inspect our engine.”
Following the discovery, NASCAR imposed eye-watering penalties on the team and driver. Hamlin and Joe Gibbs were docked 75 points and 10 playoff points. Chris Gabehart, the crew chief, faced a $100,000 fine.
To make matters worse, Bristol’s Hamlin was denied a win to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series finals. However, Hamlin still has a place in the finals by winning the other races.
Before the penalty, Hamlin was a strong playoff champion, finishing second with 2,029 points. The penalty dropped him to sixth, ending 2016 with the 2016 points.
Wilson acknowledged that steps have been taken for TRD to prevent future failures. “We have reviewed our operations and implemented additional measures to prevent this from happening again,” he said. “TRD takes full responsibility for this serious mistake, and we are grateful to Denny, Chris [Gabhart], coach [Joe] Gibbs and the entire JGR organization, NASCAR, and our fans.”
“Winning-winning engines must be inspected by NASCAR when the race team determines that its life cycle is complete. In this case, before submitting the engine to NASCAR for inspection, Toyota Racing Development and assembly of Bristol’s #11 engine “According to the NASCAR rulebook, this violation will result in an L2 penalty for the race team and driver. Toyota Racing Development reported the violation.”
