
Denny Hamlin and his team at Joe Gibbs Racing found themselves in hot water after a costly engine inspection violation, according to a Newsweek report.

The trouble began when Hamlin’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to Toyota Racing Development’s (TRD) facility in Costa Mesa, where it was disassembled and rebuilt instead of being sent to NASCAR for a mandatory teardown and inspection. This blunder violated NASCAR’s strict regulations, leading to significant penalties for the team.
David Wilson, President of TRD, owned up to the error in a detailed apology, stating, “Despite procedures being in place, Denny’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to our Costa Mesa facility, disassembled and rebuilt instead of being torn down and inspected by NASCAR per the rulebook.”
He assured that the engine was legal and would have passed inspection, but acknowledged that the mistake put NASCAR in an impossible position. Wilson added that TRD has reviewed their processes and implemented additional steps to ensure such a mishap never happens again.
The fallout from the violation was severe. Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing were docked 75 points and 10 playoff points, while crew chief Chris Gabehart faced a hefty $100,000 fine.
To top it off, Hamlin’s Bristol win was invalidated for playoff eligibility, knocking him down from second to sixth in the playoff standings. Despite the setback, Hamlin still qualifies for the playoffs thanks to victories in other races.
As Wilson put it, “TRD takes full responsibility for this grievous mistake, and we apologize to Denny, Chris, Coach Gibbs, NASCAR, and our fans.”
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