Toyota Racing Development has turned [autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag]’s 2024 NASCAR season upside down. On Thursday afternoon, NASCAR revealed that Hamlin had been docked 75 points and 10 playoff points while his crew chief Chris Gabehart has been fined $100,000. Toyota Racing Development accidentally disassembled the No. 11 car’s winning engine from Bristol before being torn down after its next scheduled use.
After Toyota Racing Development self-reported the mistake, NASCAR was forced to hand out the L2 penalty. It had nothing to do with Hamlin, the No. 11 team, or Joe Gibbs Racing. David Wilson, the president of Toyota Racing Development, issued a statement apologizing to the No. 11 team and Joe Gibbs Racing while taking full responsibility for this “grievous mistake.”
Hamlin now drops from 21 playoff points to 11 playoff points and falls from third to sixth in the point standings. Joe Gibbs Racing will not appeal as this was a self-reported mistake by Toyota Racing Development. Hamlin’s 2024 NASCAR season will now be much harder moving forward, as he loses crucial points while searching for his first NASCAR Cup Series title.
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