It about caught us in it, but we were able to sneak through. Chastain’s car came down the track and was hit by Kevin Harvick’s car as Harvick ran fourth.Īsked about how much it bothered him that the feud between Hamlin and Chastain could impact him, Busch said: “It almost did last year when Denny did it at Pocono. NASCAR did nothing when Hamlin forced Chastain up the track and into the wall racing for the lead at Pocono last summer.

NASCAR fined Hamlin 25 points and $50,000 for his actions. Whether they want to do that or not, we will see.”Įlton Sawyer, NASCAR senior vice president of competition, said that series officials viewed Denny Hamlin’s incident with Ross Chastain on the last lap at Phoenix as a “racing incident” until Hamlin stated on his podcast the next day he meant to do so.

“If they want cleaner racing, if they want more respect, then I feel they now have an opportunity to now jump into the ring of refereeing these races. “It’s as simple as what does NASCAR want,” NASCAR on NBC analyst Steve Letarte said in the video above. That elevates the tension in the garage and the lack of patience on the track.īut how much longer should NASCAR allow the lack of respect continue before series officials intercede? How should they do so? When should they let drivers handle matters? For others, give up a few points and that might be what keeps them from advancing in the playoffs.Īll that makes each lap more meaningful. With a win earning a driver a playoff spot, the equality of the cars, the importance of track position and stage points awarded, there’s a greater emphasis on running toward the front.įor some, lose enough positions and they can lose their rides.

It’s no surprise that a lack of respect among drivers was brought up, as Kyle Busch did last week, with the changes NASCAR has enacted in recent years.

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