They say “when the going gets tough, the tough get to work.” Denny Hamlin seems to be made of that hardened clay that can wield poetic justice for the common good. He can look past his mistakes in light of the Richmond penalty and give NASCAR carte blanche to use them as he sees fit.
To really understand this, perhaps we need to go back in time a bit. The pit showdown between Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott after the 2017 Martinsville race is an event most NASCAR fans remember. Today’s Austin Dillon was today’s Hamlin, who collided with Elliott and forced his car into the wall. As Hamlin tried to cover up the incident by saying he himself was driving, Elliott immediately called out his lies. It’s the desire to win that drove Hamlin to do this.
Although Hamlin defended his action at the time, he now realizes how childish it was in retrospect. People can often empathize with the problems of others, but empathy arises only with one’s own experience of problems. “I think there have been incidents that have happened in the past that, if it is a new precedent, could be put in this category, I think. For example, when I had with Chase Elliott in 2017,” Hamlin admitted contritely during the pre-race press conference.
So Denny Hamlin now wants NASCAR to be the beacon of change to prevent such incidents from ruining the race for those who deserve it. Decisions must be made to stop reckless driving because it is not only the game and other series of motor sports have done it in the country, affirming the authority of the officials. “It’s an easy decision, really easy. But you [NASCAR] have to give the people in the tower [broadcast crew] the freedom to do that. And I hope we set a new precedent,” suggested Hamlin, hoping that the decisions will be made more quickly in the future.
The reason NASCAR took so long to make the decision to race at Richmond is because they wanted to provide the right look. The goal of the policing approach taken by NASCAR is to make the game fair for all participants. “It’s just a matter of … it’s something that we really need to, you know, put our foot down and say we need to control the sporting aspect of it at this point in time.”
But the delay can be seen from the point of view of the difficulty of drawing lines around the contacts between the cars. Bump and running has always been a part of sports, almost like a cultural thing. So what if the priority of the police takes all the fun out of the game?
Hamlin talks about winning the race without destroying his opponent
The current format of the NASCAR Cup Series with the playoff situation has turned the sport into entertainment for the masses. “In many ways, when you bring in a lot of money, you have to provide entertainment. And that’s what entertained me on Sunday night, but as far as racing goes, I don’t approve,” said Mark Martin on the Dirty Mo Media podcast. The sport’s popularity grew after the influx of money , but it will have to be Maintain a certain sanctity, as long as the race is not in question, all the glamor and fun that surrounds it is accepted. “I know people are really worried, we don’t want to stop the contact, you won’t be. We will continue to push the limits to try to get the guy out to win the race,” insisted Hamlin, despite being involved in the reckless act earlier .
All the NASCAR community really wants is for the drivers to understand the gravity of the situation. The 32G point recorded by Hamlin’s car was an indication that things must change before it is too late. “It’s not worth eliminating someone you know deserved to win the race, which is the good part of the sport,” Hamlin concluded. Now it’s up to both drivers and NASCAR to maintain mercy in the sport, with the former exercising self-policing and the latter remaining consistent with their decisions to improve turnaround times.
