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Denny Hamlin let his feelings known about Austin Dillon wrecking Hamlin and Joey Logano Sunday night at Richmond. On Monday’s episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin gave a scathing review of Dillon’s lack of a penalty.
In Monday’s Actions Detrimental episode, titled the very blunt and straightforward “Richmond: Integrity of the Sport On the Line,” Hamlin shared his thoughts on what NASCAR letting Austin Dillon walk away clean means for the sport.
The former Daytona 500 winner expressed his fears about what this means for the integrity of NASCAR as a sanctioning body and his worries that NASCAR won’t make the tough call in this scenario, which could hurt the racing product.
Denny believes that NASCAR has to establish a “line,” comparing it to getting away with a flagrant foul and still winning. He even broke out the NASCAR Rule Book and read about the NASCAR Deterrent System, which allows NASCAR to assess penalties as they see fit to prevent drivers from making irrational moves on the track.
This call for action could come from Hamlin’s campaign last season after Chase Elliott wrecked him at Charlotte. Hamlin broke out the SMT data on Elliott’s car to show the nature of the crash. This effort resulted in a one-race suspension for Elliott for deliberately crashing Hamlin. Denny made a similar move Monday by reposting data on Dillon’s actions as Hamlin attempted to pass him.
Whether the call is wrong or right, Denny expressed that the sport needs to make these calls for its long-term legitimacy and prevent drivers from wrecking each other without consequences.
“This is just part of being the big-boy, and NASCAR is the big-boy, and they have to make big-boy decisions, sometimes in the best interest of their sport.” — Denny Hamlin, Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, “Richmond: Integrity of the Sport On the Line”
Denny, as usual, also mentions his financial burden as a car owner with 23XI and how NASCAR, not acting on the act of wrecking someone, makes him worry about his investment in the sport. No call will be perfect, but Hamlin wants NASCAR to make the tough calls and “draw the line in the sand.”
Hamlin has also encountered this from the owner’s perspective. In 2022, Bubba Wallace was suspended after intentionally wrecking Kyle Larson in Las Vegas. Wallace’s suspension was for the accident and the following shoving match with the driver of the No. 5. Afterward, 23XI released a statement saying that they agreed with NASCAR’s tough decision.
In a rare occurrence for the driver of the No. 11, Denny’s solution is one that many fans agree with online. NASCAR must enforce some form of penalty in this situation, whether it’s for points, playoff position, or suspension.
While Dillon has no penalty right now, Hamlin has rallied for this before. By next week, it could be an entirely different story.
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