"This can have a $500,000 penalty": Denny Hamlin explains the consequences of illegal testing in NASCAR

In a recent video, NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin explained the strict rules about private testing that can incur severe penalties, including a six-week suspension for the crew chief and up to $500,000 in fines.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver recently talked about how teams could face huge fines if they test outside the official NASCAR sessions. NASCAR teams could test their cars as much as they wanted before 2005. However, to help smaller teams, the sanctioning body limited private testing in 2005 and banned it completely in 2015.

"This can be a $500,000 penalty... At a test, drivers get on-track time, and teams get valuable data on their cars and tires. This information is crucial for success during the race. Today, NASCAR decides when testing is allowed and for what purpose, and these kinds of tests are still common today with lots of rules," Denny Hamlin said.

"Any team that tests outside of these sessions will face the most severe penalty in the sport: suspending team members, losing points, and being fined up to $500,000," he added.

In 2023, NASCAR's Xfinity Series team DGM Racing was fined $50,000 after driver Alex Labbe went to a practice event at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course. Labbe's team lost 75 points and team owner Mario Gosselin was fined.

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"One sponsor for 20 years made things pretty easy" - Denny Hamlin on losing FedEx and sponsorship struggles

Denny Hamlin, who lost his long-time sponsor FedEx this year, spoke about the struggles in an interview with FOX Sport's Bob Pockrass. The 44-year-old will have King's Hawaiian and National Debt Relief sponsoring a total of eight races this season. However, Joe Gibbs Racing has not announced a primary sponsor yet.

"I mean, sponsorship is hard to come by, and certainly, while it is such an important time in our sport to recognize that the sponsorship dollars are not flowing like they used to for sure. Everyone has had to adjust quite a bit, and there are certain aspects that JGR has to price into their pricing as well that is probably tough," Hamlin said.

"Certainly, having one sponsor for 20 years, made things pretty easy and now it is all catching up. Is it concerning from my end? Maybe a little bit, but it is probably more concerning from JGR's standpoint," he added.

Hamlin's No. 11 car will have a new look with National Debt Relief sponsoring the team in four races, starting with the season-opener Daytona 500. The car will be white with red, white and blue, and a red number on the roof.

The 2025 Daytona 500 is scheduled for February 16.