In 2023, Hamlin went on Actions Detrimental, admitted he intentionally sent Ross Chastain into the wall at Phoenix, and watched NASCAR fine him $50,000 and dock him 25 points within days. The governing body was candid about it: NASCAR’s senior vice president of competition, Elton Sawyer, later said they had initially viewed the contact as a racing incident, that is, until Hamlin’s podcast admission changed everything. And now, three years later, Hamlin can’t shake the discomfort of watching Kyle Busch work in the exact opposite direction and seemingly walk free.
“I hate to say it, it’s a stupid sport if you just depend on what people say to make official calls,” Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast.
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“Does NASCAR just kind of use their common sense judgment or do they say, well there’s just not enough evidence?” Hamlin asked. ”
The incident in question unfolded in the closing laps of the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway. Busch and Nemechek, who were side-by-side battling for 12th place, first made contact on the backstretch. The two made contact again, entering Turn 3, where Nemechek suffered significant right-side damage after hitting the outside wall. He was able to continue but lost multiple positions, ultimately finishing 21st.
Fox Sports analyst Kevin Harvick put it plainly: “I don’t know what happened earlier in there. Everything that we saw right there, it looked like Kyle just turned over the front of the No. 42 car. Then, he just wrecked him.”
Nemechek, understandably, didn’t pull punches on social media: “Not freaking clear. Great day going. And just got wrecked. What an ass.”
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Busch, for his part, took a very different approach. He pulled out telemetry data and posted it on social media, claiming Nemechek was at fault for not knowing where his car was: “I did not start this. The 42 apparently doesn’t know where the RS of his car is and where he is in relation to the outside wall. There was 2 ft outside him and I was judging my left side tires to the hash marks. Always know who your racing beside.”
With that, Busch stopped short of denying that the second contact was in retaliation, avoiding the penalty. And Hamlin’s true frustration is tied to the patterns.
In 2011, at this very same track, Texas Motor Speedway, NASCAR parked Busch for the remainder of the race weekend after he deliberately rammed Ron Hornaday Jr. under caution during a Truck Series race. At least that time, Busch came clean. “I lost my cool, no doubt about it,” he said afterward. NASCAR then fined him $50,000 and placed him on probation for the rest of the season.
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Clearly, Busch had learned some races going into this year’s race, just not in the manner Hamlin would want.
At Bristol, just weeks earlier, Busch wrecked Riley Herbst in apparent retaliation after Herbst had spun him earlier in the race. NASCAR chose not to issue a penalty there either, with Cup Series Managing Director Brad Moran saying only that officials would “have a chat” with Busch.
However, Hamlin also acknowledged the practical reality.
“Like if you’re rooting for a penalty, for what? It doesn’t change anything. You made a rule, and you stuck to it. So, I feel good that they are consistent, but in the end, it’s not going to affect anything. It’s not going to affect a playoff run, you know, he’s got enough of a wallet to whatever the fine is.”
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Per reports, NASCAR is looking into the entire incident, especially the second contact that Busch made, which sent Nemechek into the wall. However, Kyle Busch will most likely be cleared.
NASCAR insider relieves Busch
“I personally don’t think that it should be a penalty,” Jeff Gluck said earlier, discussing the entire incident. Understandably, there was quite a lot that happened during the spin. Even though the final contact from Busch looked rather deliberate, Gluck feels it is a part and parcel of NASCAR.
“Door-slamming somebody after you feel like you just got wronged is part of it. That’s part of this Cup Series racing, and that’s the kind of stuff that self-polices on the track. I would hate to see NASCAR step in and discourage that at this point,” he added.
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This was an interesting take on the situation. While intentional wrecking has always been a part of Cup racing, the penalties have never been very consistent. In fact, in late 2024, when Austin Dillon won the race at Richmond by wrecking Denny Hamlin and Joey Loganoon the final lap, he was penalized, and his playoff berth was canceled, but he was allowed to keep the race win.
In both of these incidents, however, there was a clear intention. Hamlin had already spoken about it on his podcast; meanwhile, Dillon was asked to wreck the drivers on his team radio, which NASCAR used as evidence. But the same cannot be said for Kyle Busch’s incident with Nemechek. He hasn’t admitted to causing it intentionally, and this is exactly what Hamlin seems to be agitated about.
The post “It’s a Stupid Sport”: Denny Hamlin Voices Frustration as Kyle Busch Denies NASCAR Penalty Scrutiny appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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