Dale Earnhardt Jr. shuts down cheating allegations over mega penalty imposed on Denny Hamlin over engine seal violation

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shuts down cheating allegations over mega penalty imposed on Denny Hamlin over engine seal violation

Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Via IMAGO)

Denny Hamlin established himself as a solid championship contender for the 2024 season with three wins so far this season and has been a front runner till Tuesdays NASCAR’s penalty report. He has now found himself in a concerning situation after he received a 75 championship point deduction alongside 10 playoff point deduction as penalty.

They were penalized for engine seal violation after they rebuild the engine which No:11 team won the Bristol race without letting NASCAR inspect it as per rules. TRD took blame for the mistake and apologized to Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs for the mistake. Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. responded to allegation of cheating amidst the penalty announcement via X and shot down the rumors.  

YouTube video
Wild. Happened in March. And at Bristol where motor doesn’t really matter (gives me confidence there was no real intention). Also considering what was going on with tire management during the race. Big big disappointment for DH and crew.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote on X.

The JRM co-owner reiterated his comments in a separate post and pointed out that Hamlin’s team wouldn’t have done something illegal with the engine as it isn’t worth it to risk at Bristol. Junior points seem to valid considering the Bristol race has always been about tiers.

FS Video
If you gonna trick the engine you ain’t risking it at Bristol.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. added on X.
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Some fans on social media question about the possibility of JGR appealing the decision. Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass pointed out that there is no point in appealing the decision as the rules are black and white, it was most probably just a honest mistake.

Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)
No reason to appeal. The reason the timing is so late is that TRD must have just realized that the winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly rebuilt instead of being inspected by NASCAR and told NASCAR about it.
Bob Pockrass wrote on X.

The penalty is a major hit for Denny Hamlin and his crew in the championship battle. They now have work harder than ever to secure as many playoff points as possible in the last two races of the regular season.

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