NASCAR: Denny Hamlin’s #11 team slapped with huge penalties

Several members of Denny Hamlin’s #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team have been slapped with huge penalties following Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

In the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race of the year, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin’s night was over before it really got started.

The 39-year-old Chesterfield, Virginia native drove his #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota onto the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Concord, North Carolina for the warmup laps after qualifying in 13th place.

But something rare happened as he made his way out onto the track.

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Pieces of tungsten ballast came loose from his car and fell onto the surface of the track. To avoid hitting one, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola hit another, which caused his #10 Ford to need early repairs.

Hamlin ended up going to the pits to replace this weight, and he was never in the mix during the race because he was unable to get back onto the track to take the green flag. By the time he got back out onto the track, he was six laps off the lead lap in 40th (last) place. By completing 398 of the 405 laps, he ended up in 29th and scored eight points, seven more than he would have with a finish of 36th or worse.

But missing out on the chance to truly compete after winning Wednesday night’s race at Darlington Raceway was the least of the #11 team’s worries.

Because of the weight of these tungsten pieces, this situation caused a massive safety hazard, and NASCAR has responded by slapping some hefty penalties on several members of the #11 team.

This violation is detailed in section 12.5.2.7.4.d of the NASCAR rule book. Because of it, crew chief Chris Gabehart, car chief Brandon Griffeth and engineer Scott Simmons have been suspended next four Cup Series points races, provided the team doesn’t appeal the suspension.

These next four races are scheduled to take place this Wednesday, May 27 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 31 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Sunday, June 7 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Wednesday, June 10 at Martinsville Speedway.

These crew members will be eligible to return for the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, June 14.