Kyle Busch avoided a penalty for his late incident with John Hunter Nemechek during Sunday’s Wurth 400 race at the Texas Motor Speedway.
Denny Hamlin knows a thing or two about a penalty: he was fined $50,000 and deducted 25 points for driving Ross Chastain into a wall in Phoenix back in 2023. He hit out at “stupid” NASCAR decision makers for not punishing Busch.
I hate to say it, it’s a stupid sport if you just depend on what people say to make official calls,” Hamlin said on the most recent taping of his hit Actions Detrimental podcast.
“Does NASCAR just kind of use their common sense judgment or do they say, well there’s just not enough evidence?” he asked.
What did Busch have to say on the matter? “I did not start this,” he said in a statement after the race.”The 42 apparently doesn’t know where the RS of his car is and where he is in relation to the outside wall. There was 2 ft outside him, and I was judging my left side tires to the hash marks. Always know who you’re racing beside.”
Hamlin disagreed. “I don’t know that Kyle’s refuting it, but he’s also not saying that, ‘Yeah, I took [him out].’ In so many words, he is,” he said. “You started it…’ and then left the ending unsaid… I hate to say it, it’s a stupid sport if you just depend on what people say to make official calls.”
In sports, there are fouls that get called. And there are some fouls that don’t. I don’t know where they go with this. I don’t think it really ——- matters considering where he is in points and stuff. The money, who cares about that? You just do it to make yourself feel good. Like if you’re rooting for a penalty, for what? It doesn’t change anything.”
For Busch, a point penalty likely wouldn’t have to much on an impact on his playoff chances: the veteran driver has just 182 points through 11 races and sits in 26th place.
Nemechek was also upset. “Not freaking clear. Great day going. And just got wrecked. What an —,” he wrote on social media.