Denny Hamlin said Thursday that he would not appeal the fine handed down by NASCAR for his post race comments at Phoenix International Raceway on March 3.
The week after the Phoenix race, in which Hamlin finished third, NASCAR fined the Joe Gibbs Racing driver $25,000 for ‘disparaging remarks about the on-track racing that had taken place’. Although not specifying the exact quote among the things Hamlin said after the race:
“I hate to be ‘Denny-downer,’ but I just didn’t pass that many cars today. That’s the realistic fact of it. We started 40 something, we finished third and you think that we just motored our way through the pack. And that’s just not the case of what happened. I’m ecstatic about our finish, don’t get me wrong, because we did not have a third-place car today. But, my pit crew just kept putting me in a position to race those guys, and then I capitalized when one or two guys in front of me made some mistakes here and there, I’d get one more spot, two more spots, next thing you know I’ve got a shot to possibly get a win at the end. That’s what you’ve got to do when you don’t have the best car. It was a teamwork third-place run today, that’s for sure.”
When he first learned of the fine, Hamlin was very upset. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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