Austin Hill did not receive much support from the community after he was hit with a one-race ban and a mid-race penalty for his role in Aric Almirola\u2019s crash at Indianapolis last weekend. Denny Hamlin, however, sees the incident from a slightly less critical viewpoint.<\/p>\n
Hamlin believes Hill\u2019s actions at Indianapolis are comparable to those of NFL<\/a> players and that a stronger penalty would have been too harsh.<\/p>\n Denny Hamlin Compares Austin Hill\u2019s Indy Incident to NFL Toughness<\/p>\n NASCAR<\/a> slammed the book shut on Hill after he deliberately right-rear hooked Almirola during last weekend\u2019s Xfinity race at Indianapolis. While most agreed a one-race suspension was justified<\/a>, Hamlin has taken a different stance.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it always hurts when you\u2019re the first,\u201d the NASCAR veteran said<\/a>. \u201cAnd you know the idea I think behind the penalty is to deter others from, you know, doing something similar to that in the same scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, usually this is how it works where it just takes one rough driving penalty to, you know, get the field\u2019s attention, and certainly nobody wants to have the penalty that the 21 had.\u201d<\/p>\n While Hamlin agrees that a penalty was warranted to discipline reckless driving, he\u2019s not convinced that harsher measures will be particularly effective.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you ever stop people\u2019s immediate emotions or reactions. I think that\u2019s all, you know, it\u2019s all part of it. We see football players make game decisions, roughing the passer calls, all the time, like it just happens in the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I don\u2019t think\u2026I think the penalty is definitely enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Read More: Denny Hamlin Drops 7-Word Reaction to Austin Hill\u2019s Brutal NASCAR Penalty<\/a><\/p>\n Hamlin discussed it further on his podcast. He gave Hill the benefit of the doubt and argued the impact could have been unintentional.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, it didn\u2019t look good,\u201d Hamlin said<\/a>. \u201cBut golly, would he really be that egregious? The only thing I can think of \u2014 I\u2019m looking at it, and I try to give the benefit of the doubt. I think Austin Hill, because the fans generally don\u2019t like him, is not going to get the benefit of the doubt.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I\u2019ve seen some Martinsville races where it\u2019s like, I ain\u2019t giving that guy the benefit of the doubt either. Just, you know, bowling is way through. But I\u2019m thinking about being in his position, and he gets turned sideways, and you\u2019re trying to hold on to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamlin then explained why he believes the incident could have been an accident rather than an intentional wreck.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll say this, sometimes, and actually most times, when I\u2019m correcting that big of a motion, I\u2019m usually letting the wheel slide in my hands. It\u2019s hard to full go this way \u2014 you can\u2019t do it quick enough. It\u2019s best to just let the thing \u2014 let it go on one side, catch it with the other, and that\u2019s how you correct.<\/p>\n