After the race at Phoenix in 2013, Denny Hamlin made some negative comments about NASCAR’s ‘Car of Tomorrow’ or the Gen 6 car. Hamlin said that he didn’t want to be a pessimist, but the new car wasn’t as good as the car before. Because of his comments, NASCAR slapped a hefty fine on the JGR driver.
Hamlin was fined $25,000 for his comments against NASCAR’s newest racecar. However, the #11 driver refused to pay the price for his assessment and his opinion. At a test in Las Vegas with the very car he criticized and got a fine for, Denny Hamlin made his frustrations clear with NASCAR’s decision as he said:
“Ultimately, I’m not OK with it. This is the most upset and angry I’ve been in a really, really long time about anything that relates to NASCAR.”
Hamlin further claimed on social media that he was ‘severely disrespected’ by NASCAR with the fine. He deemed that not being presented with the opportunity of a conversation before the decision to fine him was not correct, adding that his words were taken out of context.
Speaking further about his unwillingness to pay the fine, Denny Hamlin said:
“I stand by that and will go through the process of appealing. Trust me, this is not about the money. It’s much deeper.”
The JGR driver believed his opinion was simply an opinion, even if it was a bad one. Hamlin said he didn’t want to make things worse and that him being fined was blown out of proportion and could eventually end up hurting NASCAR more.
“So as far as I’m concerned, I’m not going to pay the fine. If they suspend me, they suspend me at this point.”
Hamlin further expressed his frustration with NASCAR by adding that he wasn’t saying anything for the remainder of the season. He mentioned that the downpart of the whole episode was that he had been a good spokesman for NASCAR and preached positivity even when it wasn’t the case.
The #11 driver said that NASCAR lost one of their spokesmen after fining him.
Denny Hamlin previously claimed that he would appeal his fine but in the days that followed, NASCAR announced that not only would Hamlin not be appealing against the penalty, but that they would collect it through his race winnings
“After a lot of thought I have decided not to appeal the fine NASCAR has issued. Dragging myself, my team and NASCAR through the mud for the next 2 weeks would not be good for anyone. I firmly believe I am in the right on this issue and will stand behind my decision not to pay. I understand NASCAR will do what they feel is necessary based on my decision,” Hamlin said.
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