By: Ashley McCubbin

As expected, some of Denny Hamlin’s crew members will be sitting on the sidelines for the next couple of weeks.

During the pace laps of the Coca-Cola 600, a ballast fell out of the rear of Denny Hamlin’s car, which was in violation of section 12.5.2.7.4.d of the NASCAR rule book. The rule pertains to “loss or separation of added ballast from the vehicle.”

As a result, Crew Chief Chris Gabehart, Car Chief Brandon Griffeth, Engineer Scott Simmons have been suspended for the next four NASCAR Cup Series points events, through June 10, 2020.

To meet the minimum weight requirements set by the sanctioning body, teams add weight – blocks of tungsten, in the frame rails to their discretion. The rule was brought in as a safety measure, due to the dangers if one of the blocks were to come loose under green flag conditions. Jamie Dick once had a block go through his windshield during an Xfinity Series event; he was uninjured.

Once the block dislodged on Sunday, Hamlin would come down pit road, going several laps down while the team added new weight to the car, along with repairing the piece that allowed for the weight to slip out. He ultimately finished 30th, seven laps down to race winner Brad Keselowski. The driver of the No. 11 Camry entered the Coca-Cola 600 on a high after winning the rain-shortened Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway last Wednesday.

Joe Gibbs Racing will not appeal the penalty, with race engineer Sam McAulay serving as the interim crew chief, with Eric Phillips car chiefing and Scott Eldridge brought in as a mechanic. McAulay and Phillips normally serve their positions on a regular basis, but were left off the roster for Charlotte due to the limitation of only being allowed 15 people.

It marks the second suspension for Joe Gibbs Racing since NASCAR returned to racing, as Eric Jones’ crew chief Chris Gayle was suspended following The Real Heroes 400 due to two loose lug nuts. Kyle Busch also had to start The Real Heroes 400 from the tail of the field due to failing pre-race inspection.

Joe Gibbs Racing has been part of the rule breakers discussion since the beginning of the season, as they were found in violation of the rules during pre-qualifying inspection for the Pennzoil 400. Hamlin and Kyle Busch were found in violation after having used bondo to manipulate the shape of the bodywork.As a result, they were each assessed a 10-point driver and owner standings penalty, and started the event from the tail of the field. It marked the second time that particular weekend as there were caught in violation as during pre-event tech inspection, along with Martin Truex Jr. and Jones. As a result, they had to sit out 15 minutes of the first 55-minute practice session.

EMAIL ASHLEY AT ashley.mccubbin@popularspeed.com

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