The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team and driver Denny Hamlin received an L2-level penalty for breaching NASCAR’s engine inspection rules, as announced Thursday. The team violated Sections 14.7.1.E&F and 14.7.1.1.B&E of the NASCAR Rule Book, leading to Hamlin and team owner Joe Gibbs being docked 75 points and 10 playoff points each, while crew chief Chris Gabehart was fined $100,000.
Section 14.7.1.E mandates that all race-winning engines be long block sealed by NASCAR and fully inspected before disassembly. If reused, the engine must remain with the same vehicle number until inspection. Section 14.7.1.F prohibits tampering with the seals of a long block sealed engine.
Violations of Sections 14.7.1.1.B&E include removing seals without NASCAR’s approval and presenting a sealed engine with damaged or missing seals, both of which result in an L2 Penalty.
NASCAR explained that Toyota Racing Development disassembled and rebuilt Hamlin’s Bristol-winning engine before inspection. This violation was self-reported by Toyota, leading to the penalties, which are the minimum L2-level penalties allowed by the rule book.
Additionally, Hamlin’s Bristol win no longer contributes to his NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs eligibility or advancement. Despite the penalty dropping him from third to sixth in the regular-season standings, Hamlin, a three-time race winner in 2024, remains in the postseason.
TRD President David Wilson admitted the mistake, stating the engine was disassembled at their facility rather than being inspected by NASCAR. He emphasized that the engine was legal but acknowledged the error and vowed to prevent it from recurring.
Hamlin still has a chance to earn playoff points in the final two regular-season races at Daytona and Darlington, where he has previously won multiple times.
