NASCAR has assessed the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing staff an L2-level penalty for violating engine guidelines following the staff’s victory within the Meals Metropolis 500 at Bristol on March 17.
Denny Hamlin has been docked 75 factors from the NASCAR Cup Collection drivers’ championship and Gibbs docked 75 factors from the Cup Collection homeowners’ championship. The staff was additionally docked 10 playoff factors. Moreover, Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gabehart, has been fined $100,000.
NASCAR cited sections 14.7.1.E&F and 14.7.1.1.B&E from the rule guide.
“Every race-winning engine should be inspected by NASCAR as soon as the race staff determines that its life cycle is full,” a NASCAR assertion learn. “On this occasion, previous to presenting the engine to NASCAR for inspection, Toyota Racing Growth disassembled and rebuilt the No. 11’s Bristol-winning race engine. Per the NASCAR Rule E book, this violation leads to an L2 penalty to the race staff and driver.
“Toyota Racing Growth self-reported this violation.”
The penalty negates the victory counting towards the postseason in addition to advancing within the playoffs. Nevertheless, Hamlin continues to be locked into the playoffs with two different victories.
The penalty dropped Hamlin from third within the Cup Collection championship standings, the place he was 28 factors out of the lead, to sixth place. He’s now 103 factors behind the chief.
“Because the engine builder for our companion NASCAR Cup Collection groups, TRD is solely accountable for the dealing with and disposition of all our engines pre- and post-race,” TRD president David Wilson mentioned in a press release. “Regardless of procedures being in place, Denny’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to our Costa Mesa facility, disassembled and rebuilt as an alternative of being torn down and inspected by NASCAR per the rulebook. Though we all know with absolute certainty that the engine was authorized and would have handed inspection, we left NASCAR in an unimaginable place as a result of they weren’t given the chance to correctly examine our engine.
“We now have reviewed our processes and have applied a number of extra steps to make sure that this by no means occurs once more. TRD takes full duty for this grievous mistake, and we apologize to Denny, Chris, Coach Gibbs, the whole JGR group, NASCAR and our followers.”
