Denny Hamlin Penalized Last-Minute at Dixie Vodka 400, Here's Why

NASCAR announced on Wednesday that driver Denny Hamlin had secured the Busch Pole for the Dixie [...]

By John Newby

NASCAR announced on Wednesday that driver Denny Hamlin had secured the Busch Pole for the Dixie Vodka 400. He was set to lead the field to the green flag, but the situation changed on Sunday. Racing's governing body announced that Hamlin had dropped to the rear after receiving a last-minute penalty.

According to several reporters, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team made unapproved adjustments to the FedEx Toyota Camry. Doing so resulted in the penalty and dropped Hamlin from the front of the pack to the rear. Team Penske driver Joey Logano moved from the second position to the pole. Christopher Bell, the winner of the O'Reilly Auto Parts 253, joined Logano on the front row.

The No. 11 team's unapproved adjustments penalty was the third handed out before Sunday's race. Alex Bowman, the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, and Corey LaJoie, the driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, both moved to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments.

Similarly, NASCAR driver James Davison dropped to the rear of the field, joining Bowman and LaJoie. The No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet Camaro failed inspection twice. Davison was originally set to start in the 29th position.

Before the penalty, Hamlin was set to lead the field to green for the second consecutive Dixie Vodka 400. During June's trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway, a race was delayed several times by lightning in the area. Despite the pauses in the action, Hamlin turned in a dominant performance and held off Chase Elliott for the win.

Hamlin had already locked up his spot in the playoffs before the victory in the 2020 Dixie Vodka 400. He had won the season-opening Daytona 500 and then the first of two races at Dover. The Dixie Vodka 400 gave him his third win of the season en route to a total of seven.

Hamlin has yet to record a win during the 2021 season but still sits atop the points leaderboard. He won the first two stages of the Daytona 500 but ended his day in fifth place while Michael McDowell secured his career-first win. Hamlin added a third stage win during the O'Reilly Auto Parts 253 but finished the race in third place while his teammate in Bell secured his first-ever Cup Series win.

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