Denny Hamlin expects the biggest penalty in NASCAR history to be handed to Hendrick Motorsports after hood louvers were confiscated at Phoenix
Update: Largest NASCAR fine in history: Hendrick Motorsports to appeal
NASCAR has returned home after a long trip on the West Coast. Most recently, the series raced on the 1-mile of Phoenix Raceway.
The track was the debut for a new aero package. The low downforce package will be used on most short tracks and road courses.
As teams rolled through tech inspection on Friday, they found something that needed further inspection. The hood louvers on all four Hendrick Motorsports machines were confiscated by NASCAR.
NASCAR confiscates parts from Hendrick Motorsports at Phoenix Raceway
Additionally, they also took the louvers from another Chevrolet team, Kaulig Racing.
What are louvers? Air comes into the radiator through the front nose of the car. It’s then directed out of the hood of the car, through louvers.
The louvers guide are over the car or to the side of the car. It’s a highly important aerodynamic part.
No penalties were immediately announced. Instead, NASCAR has taken the parts back to the NASCAR R&D Center in North Carolina.
NASCAR releases their weekly penalty report on Tuesday or Wednesday. Typically with West Coast races, penalties are announced on Wednesday.
Phoenix Race Results: March 12, 2023 (NASCAR Cup Series)
Denny Hamlin comments on parts confiscated from Hendrick Motorsports
“I guess Jeff Gordon is saying there was some fit issues,” Denny Hamlin stated via his Actions Detrimental podcast.
“They could have put box stock louvers, which they probably did. And they still were rocket fast on Sunday.”
“We got a DQ, the first one in 60-something years at Pocono. We did not alter a part. We just thickened the wrap over the top of a part. We didn’t even alter the part and we got a DQ.”
Denny Hamlin disqualified after NASCAR win at Pocono Raceway
“I’m going to make complete assumptions. But, they probably were messing with the edges of those louvers. — NASCAR probably reached down there and did not like what they felt and immediately pulled them off.”
“I think they’re screwed. They’re in a bad spot. I don’t see how NASCAR could say, ‘We’re all good. We checked them and everything’s fine.’ “
“I mentioned that Chevrolet has a body advantage over all the other cars. That’s something that’s going to be very difficult for any of us to overcome through this entire year.”
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Big penalty likely on the way
There’s been quality control issues with several parts through the brief history of the Next Gen car. In those cases, NASCAR has reached out to the teams, letting them know they can shim and modify a part, just to make it fit.
“I don’t think this is going to be a fit issue. I think this is going to be a changing the contour of things issue.”
“If that’s the case, this is going to be one of their hammers of, ‘We told you not to f— with it.’ “
“If so, it could be the all-time biggest fine in NASCAR by one team at one moment, if it’s all four. I mean, you could have four crew chiefs gone. You could have four 100-point fines and money. Mr. H has got some though. I don’t think the money is going to mean as much as the points.”
The Next Gen car is a spec machine, identical from team to team. That includes the chassis as well as many parts on the machine.
With the introduction of the Next Gen car, NASCAR also drastically increased the penalty for modifying a part that shouldn’t be touched.
NASCAR penalty system updated with possible $500k fine
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Kyle Larson | Josh Berry | William Byron | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Phoenix Raceway | NASCAR
