zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
NASCAR's Hamlin Effectively Loses Wins In Two Series After Both Cars Fail Inspection
NASCAR's Hamlin Effectively Loses Wins In Two Series After Both Cars Fail Inspection-March 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:20

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin won both the Monster Energy Cup Series and the Xfinity Series at Darlington Raceway this weekend only to have both wins “” after failing inspection—as in, made moot. Hamlin is still listed as the winner, but his win doesn’t count toward making the playoffs anymore and he receives no points for it.

NASCAR dropped the hammer down on four different cars after their weekend at Darlington, two of which were driven by Hamlin:

Curiously, both of Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing entries in two different series failed for issues related to the rear suspension’s truck trailing arm spacers and pinion angle shims. I’d say it’s time to find something else to sneak under NASCAR’s inspection radar, as one does.

Obviously, Hamlin’s penalties in the Cup Series matter the most, as that’s where he competes full time. In addition to having his win encumbered, Hamlin’s Cup Series crew chief Mike Wheeler was fined $50,000 and suspended for two Monster Cup championship points races. The team also lost 25 owner points and 25 driver points for the offense.

Hamlin in the Cup Series this season, so he’s in the playoffs regardless, however, this penalty means he’ll have to work with a different crew chief for the first playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway.

In the Xfinity Series, Hamlin’s race win was also encumbered. Hamlin’s Xfinity crew chief Eric Phillips was fined $25,000 and suspended for the next two Xfinity Series championship points events. The team also lost 25 owner points.

Additionally, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s streak of bad luck in his final pre-retirement Cup Series season continues, as his final chance ever to win his way into the playoffs will have to be without his crew chief Greg Ives. The lugnuts weren’t properly installed on Earnhardt’s car, so Ives was fined $20,000 and suspended for the next race of the season.

Hamlin wasn’t the only Xfinity car to fail inspection and get an encumbered finish over issues with the rear suspension truck trailing arm spacers and pinion angle shims. Joey Logano’s No. 22 Team Penske car was penalized for the same problem. His crew chief Greg Irwin was suspended for the next two Xfinity Series championship points events and fined $25,000. Team Penske also lost 25 owner points as well.

And of course, don’t expect any penalties for a NASCAR Camping World Trucks competitor in order to steal the win last weekend. Somehow that seems a lot more egregious than simply running cheaty out-of-spec parts, but hey, I’m not the one in charge here.

: Next time, NASCAR will be even tougher on similar rear suspension violations, reports :

The sanctioning body elevated the L1 penalty for violating Section 20.14.2 Rear Suspension 1-4f Truck Trailing Arm Spacers/Pinion Angle Shims from a $50,000 fine, suspension of two races for the crew chief and the loss of 25 owner/driver points to a $75,000 fine, a three-race suspension for crew chief and car chief and the loss of 40 owner/driver points.

Oof. That’s one way of saying “don’t do it.”

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Russian Race-Car Driver Refused Entry To U.S. Over ‘Visa Issues’ [UPDATE]
Russian Race-Car Driver Refused Entry To U.S. Over ‘Visa Issues’ [UPDATE]
Russian IndyCar driver Mikhail Aleshin is stuck in France after competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans due to unspecified issues with his visa to enter the United States, his team announced this week. Canadian driver Robert Wickens, who has a full-time ride in the touring car series DTM,...
Mar 3, 2026
The FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup Is Its First Ever World Drifting Competition
The FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup Is Its First Ever World Drifting Competition
The stodgy old French types at the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile want to make themselves more relevant to young people. Thank goodness they’re actually doing something cool instead of patronizing us all about or . They’re going drifting! Drifting, of course, is a motorsport all about getting delightfully sideways and...
Mar 3, 2026
Ransomware Attack Affecting 3,400 Businesses Was Responsible For Le Mans Stream Outages
Ransomware Attack Affecting 3,400 Businesses Was Responsible For Le Mans Stream Outages
The official paid live stream of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans was unusually bad, for chunks during the race. Fans unhappy with the stream’s quality were advised to request refunds, but many were initially denied. Thankfully, it sounds like they’re finally making good on users’ refunds now that...
Mar 3, 2026
Porsche Should Have Made More Than 20 Group B 911 SC/RS Cars Because They Rule
Porsche Should Have Made More Than 20 Group B 911 SC/RS Cars Because They Rule
I know it’s a bold claim to make in today’s era of hyper-collectible, ultra-rare 911 variants, but I would have been totally fine if Porsche had made more than only 20 of these Group B 911 SC/RSes. They look and sound awesome and I need more. Just watch this rare...
Mar 3, 2026
Good News For This Weekend's Formula One Race
Good News For This Weekend's Formula One Race
(This has been , a semi-regular series in which Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who is , updates us on his country’s transportation network.) ...
Mar 3, 2026
Why 'The Weatherman' Meant So Much To The Desert Racing Community
Why 'The Weatherman' Meant So Much To The Desert Racing Community
On June 20, Bob “Weatherman” Steinberger passed away after a long battle with cancer. To off-road racers, Weatherman was an arbiter, a messenger, and sometimes, a life saver. But even more than that; Weatherman invented backcountry communication decades before cell phones and GPS, and helped make some of the coolest...
Mar 3, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved