Denny Hamlin Drops Blunt Message to NASCAR Following Christopher Bell’s Pit Highway Chaos
Christopher Bell noticed his three-race win streak come to a screeching halt on the Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas. The No. 20 driver had a irritating outing, working by way of visitors and settling for a P12 end. However the greatest second of Bell’s race got here throughout a chaotic pit cease that left Denny Hamlin hoping NASCAR doesn’t change the foundations—once more.
Denny Hamlin Urges NASCAR To Keep away from One other Midseason Rule Change
Throughout a pit cease, Bell’s left-front tire changer stumbled, leaving the lug nut unfastened. As Bell pulled out, his crew chief shortly radioed him to “cease at someone’s field” to tighten the left aspect.
Bell instantly pulled into his teammate Chase Briscoe’s pit stall to repair the problem. However on Lap 112, NASCAR hit him with a penalty for pitting outdoors his field, sending him to the tail finish of the sphere.
Hamlin broke down the second on his Actions Detrimental podcast through Soiled Mo Media, declaring it wasn’t the primary time one thing like this occurred.
The dialog turned to how single-car groups would deal with the identical downside. Hamlin defined {that a} one-car staff is allowed to pit within the field of whoever owns their pit crew. He argued NASCAR shouldn’t overreact with one other rule tweak.
“I wouldn’t mess with it. Let’s not create one other rule in the midst of the season. I really feel like we replace our guidelines each week,” Hamlin mentioned on “Actions Detrimental.”
Hamlin’s feedback got here lower than every week after NASCAR up to date its rulebook once more, tweaking the Open Exemption Provisional (OEP) after it debuted at Daytona.
The brand new rule robotically expands the sphere to 41 entries if a staff is granted an OEP after 40 automobiles are already listed. After the 36 constitution groups, 4 open entries are allowed per race, plus one OEP spot. Initially, that forty first spot was reserved for “important contributors” from different racing disciplines, opening the door for F1, IndyCar, and endurance drivers.
Whereas NASCAR made this alteration between races, it’s no secret they’ve additionally adjusted guidelines mid-weekend.
At COTA, drivers have been confused about which corners officers have been policing in the course of the race. Initially, NASCAR listed Flip 6 as a spot underneath assessment however later clarified that solely Turns 3, 4, and 5 could be monitored—leaving groups scrambling for readability.
With confusion like that popping up after each tweak, Hamlin’s recommendation hits dwelling. NASCAR has taken warmth earlier than for trying unprepared with its rulebook. Now, it runs the chance of doing it once more.
