Denny Hamlin posed his own question when he faced journalists on Sunday night at Richmond Raceway after being wrecked by Austin Dillon for the win.
Hamlin’s response had nothing to do with the finish line’s location. Instead, it came as the driver for Joe Gibbs Racing was asked about the possibility of penalizing Dillon for his actions on the last lap, where he made contact with two drivers to secure victory in the Cook Out 400. Dillon first collided with Joey Logano in Turn 3, causing Logano to spin out of the race lead, before hooking Hamlin off Turn 4.
Hamlin was running on the lower part of the track, in a position to pass Dillon and Logano after their incident. However, a right-rear hook from Dillon sent Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota into the outside wall, ultimately handing Dillon the win.
“We have regulations to prevent absurd acts, but it’s been a considerable amount of time since those regulations were enforced,” Hamlin stated. “Didn’t Layne Riggs spin someone out and receive a two-lap penalty or something? This is challenging because this is what young short-track racers witness, and they believe it’s acceptable because they watch the professionals on Sundays who are supposed to behave like adults but instead do foolish things. It’s astonishing that it’s allowed.
“But I don’t blame him because he’s completely desperate, right? He’s 30th in points, and he jumps 20 spots in points, or whatever it is. His season is saved. Now, he’ll have to face consequences down the line for this, but from his standpoint, it’s worth it because there are no boundaries or regulations that say, ‘Don’t do that.’ And there’s no one in the control tower who has any issue with it. So, we’ll never be taken seriously as a sport because we lack proper officiating.”
Hamlin had already accepted finishing in third place before he saw how aggressively Dillon entered the corner on the final lap. At that moment, Hamlin knew that the Richard Childress Racing driver was “going to do something foolish.” It was unfortunate, Hamlin said, to be one of the two drivers who got wiped out.
The radio communication from Dillon’s team left no doubt that the driver was willing to do whatever it took to come out on top. After the contact with Logano, there was a sentiment of “wreck him” on Dillon’s No. 3 radio as Hamlin approached his inside.
Upon hearing that, Hamlin became animated and said, “Well then, what are we even discussing? I don’t know. Maybe they’ll address it. I highly doubt it.”
The right-rear hook is what upset Hamlin the most. It’s a maneuver that has resulted in penalties in the past, including when Hamlin himself was on the receiving end of a right-rear hook from Chase Elliott last year, which led to Elliott being suspended for one race.
Hamlin stated that hooking another driver is “100%” worse than rear-ending them.
“I don’t know what the G-forces were, but it crushed me on the right side,” Hamlin said about hitting the wall after Dillon’s contact. “He right-rear hooked me, so what do you expect me to do?”
Hamlin, his crew chief Chris Gabehart, and other Joe Gibbs Racing staff went to the NASCAR hauler to discuss the events of the final lap. Afterward, Hamlin chose not to disclose what was said behind closed doors.
Photo from Denny Hamlin Instagram
