TRD takes “full responsibility for their grievous mistake” as Denny Hamlin and crew chief get slapped with a penalty 

Toyota Racing Development (TRD) has taken full responsibility for Denny Hamlin's season-altering L-2 penalty. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was docked 75 regular season points and 10 playoff points, which dropped him from P3 to P6 in the Cup Series standings. Furthermore, NASCAR handed his crew chief Chris Gabehart a $100,000 fine.

Per NASCAR's rulebook, a race-winning engine should not be disassembled before being presented to NASCAR for inspection. However, as per official statements, TRD had "disassembled and rebuilt" Hamlin's race-winning engine from Bristol Motor Speedway in March. This was Hamlin's first win of the season.

David Wilson, President of Toyota Racing Development, said (as reported by journalist Bob Pockrass on X):

"As the engine builder for our partner NASCAR Cup Series teams, TRD is solely responsible for the handling and disposition of all our engines pre- and post-race. Despite procedures being in place, Denny’s race-winning engine from Bristol was mistakenly returned to our Costa Mesa facility, disassembled and rebuilt instead of being torn down and inspected by NASCAR per the rule book."

"TRD takes full responsibility for this grievous mistake, and we apologize to Denny, Chris (Gabehart), Coach Gibbs, the entire JGR organization, NASCAR and our fans," Wilson added.

Besides the point penalty levied against Denny Hamlin and his team, NASCAR announced that the JGR driver's win at Bristol would not be counted towards his playoff eligibility.

NASCAR insider calls out TRD for Denny Hamlin's penalty

Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace recently opened up on Denny Hamlin's situation in one of his YouTube videos. According to Wallace, it was TRD's fault that they removed the seal and rebuilt the engine before NASCAR could take a look at it.

"This was TRD's fault," Kenny Wallace said (3:22). "Why did they do this...it's crazy!"

"And it (the race) was back in March...I mean, talk about it kicking the n**s, right?" Wallace continued (5:53). "Here's what's funny about it all. No race team builds their damn motors...alright let's say Richard Childress does... (then) , andyou got DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc.)...but yes and no. But TRD is over here; it's all their fault," he said.

"Denny Hamlin is sitting at home with his kids and they penalize him and he's like, 'Wait, what?' This is how it goes in the sport," he added.

Nevertheless, Toyota Racing Development had self-reported the incident to NASCAR. Per NASCAR, the penalty issued on Hamlin and the No. 11 team was the lowest permissible penalty under the L-2 category.

Despite NASCAR canceling the playoff-eligibility aspect of Denny Hamlin's win at Bristol, the 43-year-old speedster is still locked in the playoffs, thanks to his win at Richmond in March. As of today, he has 711 points to his name and sits just eight and 29 points ahead of his teammates Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr., respectively.