Denny Hamlin shot his own foot by admitting to wrecking Ross Chastain on purpose, states NASCAR VP

Denny Hamlin has been fined and given a driver points penalty after admitting to intentionally fencing Ross Chastain towards the finish of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

Hamlin was fined $50,000 and deducted 25 points for deliberately colliding with Chastain on Sunday (March 12). The two drivers have had a grudge since last June, and have collided in several races since.

During a late restart at Phoenix Raceway, Hamlin surged up the track, forcing Chastain into the wall. Hamlin and Chastain finished 23rd and 24th, respectively. Before the collision, both drivers had spent the bulk of the race in the top ten.

In his podcast, Actions Detrimental, Hamlin acknowledged purposefully walling Chastain during the race's last restart.

NASCAR's senior vice president of competition, Elton Sawyer, stated that the collision would most certainly have been classified as a "racing incident" if not for his revelations on the podcast.

He said:

"But then, 24 hours later, to have a competitor that has gone on a podcast - which we're delighted Denny has a podcast. We think that's great to interact with the fans. But when you start admitting that you have intentionally done something that would compromise the results of the end of the race, then that rises to a level that we're going to get involved," Sawyer said.

Sawyer added:

"There's no other way to look at that. We were going to get involved in that situation. We've been consistent in the past with that and we will be consistent going forward."

NASCAR issued numerous penalties on Wednesday. Hendrick Motorsports and Kaulig Racing each received four fines for illegal part changes for each of their four Cup Series teams. At inspection in Phoenix, all five teams had their hood louvers seized, resulting in severe fines.

Hamlin responded to the news by stating that he will not appeal the punishment but will keep hosting his weekly podcast.

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Denny Hamlin-Ross Chastain rivalry continues

It only took four races in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season for the series' most heated rivalry to resume where it left off.

Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing established himself as one of the sport's finest young drivers in 2022. He finished second in the points standings after winning three races. However, there was some collateral damage.

Chastain's aggressive and reckless driving earned him a number of opponents, with Denny Hamlin being one. Hamlin, a Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, was frequently on the receiving end of those events.

Last year at Pocono Raceway, he appeared to take his vengeance. However, it now appears that he wasn't completely over the past instances.