The atmosphere at the Pennzoil 400 race was heavy with tension and frustration, as a wave of penalties washed over several drivers, including three-time winner Christopher Bell and fan-favorite Chase Elliott. But the driver who bore the brunt of the NASCAR pit road rules was none other than Kyle Busch, whose outburst of protest echoed across the No. 8 pit stall. However, fellow competitor Denny Hamlin, who also had his fair share of penalties, has stepped up to shed light on the situation, defending NASCAR’s stance and explaining the intricate nuances of the pit road rules.
Hamlin, driving the No. 11 Toyota, found himself at the receiving end of an early-race speeding penalty, pushing him to the back of the race. Despite his own setback, and managing only to claw his way back to a 25th place finish, Hamlin stood in defense of the NASCAR’s penalty system.
Kyle Busch, a native of Las Vegas, had high hopes for a win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track where he had previously secured a victory and 12 top-five finishes. An ideal opportunity to break his 60+ race winless streak was dashed when he was penalized for speeding into pit road, plummeting from the fifth to the 32nd position. The incident sparked a fiery reaction from the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing pit stall, with Crew Chief Randall Burnett and spotter Derek Kneeland blaming NASCAR officials for not giving them a chance to address the penalty, as reported by Matt Weaver.
Amid the heated exchanges and rising tempers, Denny Hamlin attempted to demystify the timing procedure during a recent episode of ‘Actions Detrimental’. Hamlin explained, “When NASCAR does its timing between segments…They don’t have a radar gun pointing at other cars to determine whether you’re speeding or not… It is a time-based thing and it is black and white – it will pop up red if you’re too fast in a certain section.”
Furthermore, Hamlin highlighted how the unique features of the 1.5-mile oval track in Sin City, with its 20-degree banked corners and 9-12 degree front stretch and backstretch, impact pit road penalties. He pinpointed the fact that drivers tend to speed up at corners to counterbalance the time they lose while entering the straightaway at the pits, which is a likely reason for Busch’s penalty.
Adding to the drama on the track was Hamlin’s teammate, Christopher Bell, who attempted something unusual on the Cup Series grid. Driving the No. 20 Toyota, Bell was on track to become the first four-peat Cup Series race winner since Jimmie Johnson in 2007. However, a loose tire on lap 108 caused his race to go awry. In a first in NASCAR history, his crew chief Adam Stevens instructed Bell to stop at Chase Briscoe’s No. 19 stall to get his tire fixed, leading to a penalty for Bell but preventing a more severe penalty had his tire come off on the racetrack.
In the end, despite the pit road shenanigans and Bell’s three-race winning streak coming to an end, he managed to secure a satisfactory 12th-place finish, thanks to Stevens’ quick thinking.
While the Las Vegas race was rife with pit road drama, Denny Hamlin’s explanation brought much-needed clarity to the situation. However, whether it soothes Kyle Busch and his team’s frustration or adds fuel to the fire remains to be seen.
