NASCAR penalty report from Texas Motor Speedway; William Byron and Ty Gibbs penalized
On Sunday, Texas Motor Speedway hosted the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on the 1.54-mile oval. The race was filled with drama and NASCAR has responded with a list of penalties which have been issued on Tuesday afternoon.
View the NASCAR penalty report from Texas Motor Speedway below.
William Byron vs Denny Hamlin
Byron and Hamlin were in a battle for 2nd place late in Sunday’s race. They fought for space off turn two and Byron made contact with the outside wall.
“Yeah, he ran me out of room, bent the toe link and we’re lucky we finished,” William Byron told NBC Sports after the race.
Only a few laps later, race leader Martin Truex Jr spun out, tagged the wall and brought out a caution. Byron stayed in the throttle and drove into the rear bumper of Hamlin off turn four. Hamlin was sent for a spin through the infield grass.
After exiting the grass, Hamlin drove back to the bumper of Byron. He attempted to spin Byron out, also under caution. However, Byron wasn’t spun from the contact.
Hamlin wanted his spot back. However, NASCAR defaulted to the rulebook saying Hamlin failed to maintain speed under the caution. He lost several spots ahead of the restart.
View the full comments from Byron and Hamlin after Texas
Hamlin promises payback to Byron
The No. 11 was vocal on the radio, calling for a penalty. Hamlin later said that he’s added Byron to the list of driver’s that he owes payback to.
“If you’re going to allow it then I’m just going to get all my teammates to take out all the competition under caution,” Hamlin later added to Bob Pockrass.
Hamlin added, “It all just works itself out. We’ll be racing each other at some point and he’ll lose a lot of spots because he’s racing me. This is hard racing. I’m fine with hard racing.”
Hamlin has already issued payback to Ross Chastain for contact earlier in the season. Hamlin grabbed the win at Pocono but was later disqualified.
Denny Hamlin crashes Ross Chastain for Pocono win; Payback (Video)
View the full comments from Byron and Hamlin after Texas
Shortly after the race, NASCAR explained their views on the incident. They also noted that a penalty could be on the way. That was confirmed today.
NASCAR says William Byron, Denny Hamlin incident may not be resolved
William Byron penalized
William Byron has been handed a 25-point penalty. He’s also been fined $50,000.
Penalty: #24-William Byron
Sections: 4.3.A & 4.4.C: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct
Notes: Vehicle contact during a caution period.
Penalty: Driver (William Byron) has been fined $50,000. Team has been assessed with the loss of 25 driver points and 25 owner points.
After Texas, Byron was 3rd in the playoff standings. After the penalty, he’s now below the cutline, in 10th out of the 12 remaining
William Byron vs Denny Hamlin (Video)
Ty Gibbs vs Ty Dillon
An incident involving Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon also caught the eye of NASCAR after the event. As Dillon exited his pit stall, he forced Gibbs to make an evasive maneuver to avoid contact.
In a moment of frustration, Gibbs pulled alongside Dillon and turned left into him. He forced Dillon a full lane to the left with the contact on the pit lane.
At the same time, a team was still servicing a car in a pit stall. Gibbs forced Dillon to drive within a few feet of that pit stall. Several crew members and a NASCAR official were standing right next to the incident at it happened.
Luckily nobody was injured.
Back in April, Gibbs was fined $15,000 for contact with Sam Mayer during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville.
Ty Gibbs penalized after Texas
Ty Gibbs was been handed a $75,000 fine for the incident at Texas. The driver doesn’t compete for driver points however, the team was handed a 25-point deduction.
Penalty: #23-Ty Gibbs
Sections: 4.3.A & 4.4.C: NASCAR Member Code of Conduct
Notes: Retaliatory vehicle contact on pit road with crew members/officals in close proximity; second offense.
Penalty: Driver (Ty Gibbs) has been fined $75,000. Team has been assessed with the loss of 25 owner points.
Ty Gibbs vs Ty Dillon at Texas (Video)
Ty Gibbs issues an apology
Shortly after the penalty was announced, Ty Gibbs issued a statement on social media:
“I want to apologize for what happened on pit road during the race Sunday,” Ty Gibbs stated via social media.
Gibbs added, “I have to have a better understanding of the situation and my surroundings. I’m thankful no one was injured and will learn from it.”
Texas Race Results: September 25, 2022 (NASCAR Cup Seres)
Other penalties
Patrick Briody has been suspended indefinitely for violating the NASCAR Substance Abuse Policy – Sections 4.1 and 10.1.A. Briody works for Our Motorsports with the No. 02 team in the Xfinity Series.
Kyle Larson wants Texas Motor Speedway demolished; Short track
Links
Denny Hamlin | William Byron | Ty Gibbs | Ty Dillon | Texas Motor Speedway | NASCAR
