![\"NASCAR,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/69461cb47bca865cc258d545ce719790.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\nDenny Hamlin has played a part in setting the precedent for NASCAR when it comes to the sport\u2019s intentional wrecking rulebook. Back in 2023, the organization viewed Hamlin\u2019s contact with Ross Chastain as nothing more than an incident until the former went on his podcast shortly to admit he\u2019d done that intentionally. A 25-point penalty and a $50,000 fine followed, but what hurts Hamlin more is how situations keep unfolding that reveal how the template and NASCAR polices its own \u2013 without much logic.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think no matter what, common sense has to be the first rule of thumb,\u201d Hamlin said, reflecting on Texas\u2019 penalty report, which had Ryan Preece pay the same price as Hamlin in 2023, but nothing for Kyle Busch.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026and then you go from there. Then you use data to either back up or deny common sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
If one listens to the communications VP\u2019s comments, it becomes clear that Hamlin\u2019s words aren\u2019t blank critiques. As Mike Forde laid it plainly on the Hauler Talk podcast: \u201cHe (Preece) said what he said, and then he did what he said. And so in our view, it was intentionally wrecking another vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
It can be argued that Preece\u2019s full radio rant was rather \u2018welcoming\u2019, but the same can be said for Busch\u2019s and John Hunter Nemechek\u2019s crash. Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick suggested as much on the broadcast. Yet, come Tuesday, and NASCAR\u2019s reliance on radio over replay changed Busch\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
The other explanation given was the SMT data that Busch also posted on his social media. Forde further conveyed that competition strategist Scott Miller claimed the data to be inconclusive as to whether the No. 8 Chevrolet driver had intentionally wrecked Nemechek\u2019s No. 42 Toyota.<\/p>\n
Then, quite predictably, Forde added, \u201cThere was no audio that came out that said, \u2018I\u2019m going to wreck the 42,\u2019 and then he wrecked the 42.\u201d<\/p>\n
Busch had further defended his actions, pointing out how he used \u201chash marks\u201d on the back straightaway to judge positioning before the contact happened. However, Hamlin had a few points to make on his Actions Detrimental podcast. Per him,<\/p>\n
The move looked intentional because Busch \u201clost his [temper] going into Turn 3,\u201d suggesting the contact was too aggressive to be dismissed as ordinary racing<\/p>\n
Busch\u2019s explanation about using \u201chash marks\u201d on the backstretch did not make aerodynamic sense, saying drivers normally would not run that high because it hurts straight-line speed. And Busch\u2019s line relative to Nemechek\u2019s car was unusual enough to undermine Busch\u2019s defense that he simply misjudged space.<\/p>\n
Busch should have, in the first place, driven lower on the track to avoid the situation entirely.<\/p>\n
That said, what Hamlin is really pointing at here is a structural problem. NASCAR insider Alan Cavanna put it bluntly on The Gluckcast: \u201cAs long as you don\u2019t give us the evidence, we\u2019re going to let it go. That\u2019s the interpretation I have from NASCAR. That\u2019s the only rule they have to follow \u2014 don\u2019t admit you did it and we\u2019re not going to penalize you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
What makes the Busch situation harder to dismiss is the pattern, since Texas wasn\u2019t an isolated incident. At Bristol in April, with four laps remaining in the Food City 500, Busch made proper contact with Riley Herbst, who had spun him earlier in the race. This sent Herbst spinning into the wall and triggered overtime. No penalty came then either.<\/p>\n
While Forde acknowledged the trend after Texas, the only plans they have towards the same is to have a conversation with RCR and Kyle Busch. So, it makes sense that RFK Racing is now vowing to take action.<\/p>\n
RFK Racing and Ryan Preece to appeal the penalty<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I\u2019m a bit surprised,\u201d Preece admitted to the media heading into Watkins Glen for the next race. While NASCAR seemed to have quite a strong stance with the penalty they awarded to the RFK driver, he and the team still have a chance to oppose it, and that is what they\u2019re heading for now.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201cRFK Racing has decided to appeal the penalties issued by NASCAR against Ryan Preece,\u201d the team wrote. \u201cWe appreciate the opportunity to share our findings with the national motorsports appeals panel at the appropriate time. Additionally, our organization respectfully embraces the form provided by NASCAR to present our case.\u201d<\/p>\n
NASCAR is usually not very kind with the appeals made to overturn penalties. In fact, more than 50% of the penalties appealed in recent times have been upheld by the authorities. And the last time someone won was when Chase Briscoe and Joe Gibbs Racing appealed after an investigation into an alleged modified spoiler during the 2025 Daytona 500 qualifiers. Yet, the process gives Ryan Preece some hope of getting those points back.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thankful that NASCAR has an appeals process, so I feel like I can be heard and let that process play out,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA October 12 NASCAR Cup Series 2024: Bank of America ROVAL 400 NASCAR Cup Series driver, RYAN PREECE 41, prepares to practice for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in Concord, NC. LicenseRM 22353824 Copyright: xZoonar.com\/GrindstonexMediaxGroup\/ASPInc\/WalterxGxArcexSrx 22353824<\/p>\n
And the pressure on NASCAR will be quite a lot, considering that the most followed and respected voices in the sport have stood with Preece.<\/p>\n
Advertisement<\/p>\n
\u201cI honestly, I honestly don\u2019t agree with this one. I really don\u2019t,\u201d Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. \u201cI think if you\u2019re not going to penalize Kyle, which I didn\u2019t think they would, I don\u2019t think you can penalize Preece. I\u2019m just really, really surprised by this decision,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess we\u2019ll see what everyone else thinks. Cause this is a doozy. This is quite, quite an interesting turn of events. I didn\u2019t see this one coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dale Jr also responded to the appeal and wrote, \u201cChance for overturning it (is) very low. But if they can reduce the points, it\u2019s a big win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trending Articles<\/p>\n
The post Denny Hamlin Takes a Veiled Dig at NASCAR With Bold \u201cCommon Sense\u201d Call<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Denny Hamlin has played a part in setting the precedent for NASCAR when it comes to the sport\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":660926,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,3140,3932,12101,8661,634,9537,82],"class_list":["post-660925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cup-series","tag-denny-hamlin","tag-joe-gibbs-racing","tag-kyle-busch","tag-nascar","tag-ryan-preece","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660925\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}