NASCAR Fines Driver $25,000 For Publically Criticizing Gen-6 Cars

NASCAR fined Denny Hamlin $25,000 on Thursday for remarks he made following last Sunday’s event at Phoenix International Raceway.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver had criticized the quality of racing with the new Gen-6 cars. The sanctioning body decided that Hamlin violated Section 12-1 of the NASCAR rule book, which forbids actions detrimental to stock-car racing.

“While NASCAR gives its competitors ample leeway in voicing their opinions when it comes to a wide range of aspects about the sport, the sanctioning body will not tolerate publicly made comments by its drivers that denigrate the racing product,” NASCAR said in a statement.

AutoSpies.com is ranked #1 on Google for auto show photos!

**The 2013 Geneva Motor Show Photo Galleries are sponsored by Fiat

2013 Geneva Motor Show Photo Gallery
Read Article

Sciros - 3/8/2013 11:45:24 AM

+3 Boost

As someone who doesn't give a crap about the nation's second-largest spectator sport, I don't know anything about Denny Hamlin or NASCAR's history of fining drivers. But I never think fines are the way to go; it makes NASCAR appear insecure in a way. As for Hamlin's actual criticism of the Gen-6 cars as having bad aerodynamics that make it hard to pass someone, to me the cars look almost the same but it's actually easily testable whether their aero is better or worse than Gen-5. In other words, Hamlin didn't state an opinion but rather a falsifiable assertion. And while one shouldn't censor opinions, I suppose it might make sense to try and discourage spreading actual misinformation. But a public fine isn't a good way to do that.

vdiv - 3/8/2013 1:03:29 PM

+1 Boost

The word "denigrate" has racial connotations, should we be surprised or concerned that NASCAR is using it? Should NASCAR be fined for such a language?

ParadoX - 3/8/2013 6:29:57 PM

+2 Boost

I didn't know that stock Camrys' came with V8 motors.

toolatetorace - 3/16/2013 11:57:16 AM

+1 Boost

Dennt (green eggs and ) Hamlin is just sore because they lost so many engines . He threw out a championship that was his to win by making a dumb mistake . Why whould he not be sore