"The No. 1 thing is we want to get it right" - NASCAR to review penalty calls for quick decision-making

This season, NASCAR has been very keen on matters concerning rule violations, and most drivers have been penalized for different infractions. Recently, they disqualified an apparent winner for the first time since April 17th, 1960, when Emanuel Zervaki’s win was declined for an oversized fuel tank.

Denny Hamlin was the unlucky driver to face disqualification due to a failed inspection after he clinched the Pocono race win. The same penalty was applied to his teammate Kyle Busch, who finished second, leaving Chase Elliot as the official winner after finishing third.

In the recently concluded Indianapolis race, Ross Chastain was stripped of his second-place finish and stretched all the way to the 27th place after he used the access road in Turn 1. Austin Dillon was also handed the same penalty.

NASCAR’s Vice President of Officiating and Technical Inspection, Elton Sawyer, has come out to clear the airwaves on this issue. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said that the track limits on those types of courses are always tricky for them, but they are trying to get it right. Sawyer said.

"Track limits on those types of courses are always a challenge for us. We want to get it right. When those situations are presented to us, we go back to replay. Just remember we’re running a race."

He added, saying:

"There’s still competition going on. We have a situation, we look at replay. That doesn’t happen in 10 seconds. We want to get it right. We want to make the right call. That’s why the rules are written the way they are."

NASCAR has received different criticisms for how it handled the penalty matter. One of the things that raised eyebrows on Chastain’s penalty was the call time, which in this case wasn’t quick enough.

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NASCAR drivers who have been penalized in 2022 Cup Series season

Some fans felt as if NASCAR went hard on Ross Chastain, despite playing with the book and not being the only one who used the access road. According to Joey Logano, he watched several drivers do the same in the Xfinity Series and they were not penalized.

In response to this, Elton Sawyer cited that the track limit guidelines were crystal clear: if a driver cuts off an important amount of the race course, then a penalty will be assessed. According to Sawyer, using the access road is allowed as long as the driver doesn’t take advantage and cuts a significant amount of the course.

Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, and Ross Chastain are not the only drivers who have been penalized in July. Michael McDowell also faced it rough late last month after he was penalized with an L2-level penalty at Pocono Raceway for modifying a single-source supplied part. The penalty will strip the #34 Ford Mustang of Front Row Motorsports of 100 drivers' points and 10 playoff points.