Denny Hamlin urges NASCAR to use “common sense” amidst track limit violation penalty saga

Denny Hamlin has some advices to NASCAR on giving out track limit penalties in the future.

Denny Hamlin urges NASCAR to use “common sense” amidst track limit violation penalty saga

Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott (Via IMAGO)

The NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series drivers faced massive track limit issues during the respective races at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) last weekend. NASCAR administer over 40 penalties to racers from all the different series, causing drivers to speak out against what they deem as counterproductive regulations.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has recently also spoken about how the track limits at the iconic esses section at COTA are unfair to the drivers while speaking on his podcast Action Detrimental. The number 11 added how NASCAR needs to use common sense while administering the penalties as drivers can’t see much while driving at the esses section side by side after race restarts, during which majority of the penalties were handed out.

It Is that when the field is running two-by-two through the esses, no one is gaining an advantage. They’re just trying to gain line of sight. So, I think that you could just use a rule and it’s called the commonsense rule. And that is that as long as someone does not gain an advantage by cutting the esses to get position maybe on someone on a restart, let the guys — give them a foot. Give them a little buffer zone.
Denny Hamlin said.

Hamlin added how NASCAR needs to give drivers some leeway in regard to track limits while battling in the esses section as the fast-paced nature of the part hampers vision massively. Only time will tell whether NASCAR will make it easier for drivers at future races in COTA. But not everyone in the NASCAR community has the same opinion.

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Kevin Harvick’s urges to NASCAR to hurry up enforcing track limits

Although the track limits during the NASCAR races at COTA have been controversial, many fans and pundits have agreed that it has led to cleaner and better racing. Ex–Stewart–Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick has recently urged on his podcast Harvick’s Happy Hour that NASCAR should follow such track limits for all road course races in order to make racing more competitive.

Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing
Kevin Harvick, Stewart Haas Racing (Credits: IMAGO)
I think you know from a from a purist road racing standard um I just believe that we need to race on the track. I think that COTA would actually race better if we had track limits. NASCAR's point is 'hey we're not to the point of being able to officiate it yet.' They need to hurry up. We need to officiate every corner on a road course like it needs to be officiated and I think that track limits will make every road course a better racetrack.
Kevin Harvick said via Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast.

The former driver also added how enforcing strict track limits at every road course will lead to drivers being more on their toes and gaining fewer advantages by going off track. Harvick believes that NASCAR should improve their officiating systems in order to enforce this soon.

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