Did Denny Hamlin Get the Shaft? (And not the Drive Shaft)

The more I think about it and the more I keep hearing about Denny Hamlin's fine for disparaging the sport of NASCAR, the more I feel he's getting the shaft, just because he referenced the old car versus the new car.

I don't think that anything Hamlin said when comparing the development phase of the new (Gen six) cars versus the COT cars of the last few years, or as they've been rebranded as by NASCAR, the Gen Five cars.

Many folks seemed pretty down on the COT cars over the last few years but it seemed that it was coming along pretty nicely.  The last few years provided consistently exciting finishes with this car, and I'm not talking about the G-W-C finishes.  And so far, not so much with the new car.

But when NASCAR does something like come down so hard on Denny Hamlin for making nothing more than a comparative statement about this to last years' car, I have to start wondering how sensitive NASCAR is about the image of the COT.  And are they that worried about any associations between the G-5 and G-6 cars?

At least to me, this heavy-duty fine levied at Hamlin seems to possibly drive that very point home.  Or, to be more accurate, this perceived or guessed at point.

Denny called it as he saw it, and he called it "The Truth," and he's bothered by the issue that he can't speak the honest truth on a matter.  And he did.  Passing is an issue and there was a lot of single file racing.

I'm still confused that NASCAR, who will "draw the line" at negative commentary on the new car, thinks that Denny's comparison was some evil, off-handed remark...  Now had he said, "This car sucks," well, there ya go, that I'd understand.  But not this.

Right now, Denny has filed an appeal with NASCAR on the fine.  I hope some light can come of this.

In the meantime, fans will be left in the dark about how drivers really feel because they aren't allowed to speak their minds on some issues. This is nothing new in professional sports, but it's disappointing to know that what we get in a post-race interview is a carefully worded reply that will echo the same thing each and every weekend.

Is that what we really want?

Denny Hamlin's Opinion Is A Costly One And Never Compare the Gen5 to the Gen6 Car, EVER!

Apparently after the Phoenix NASCAR Sprint Cup race, Denny Hamlin said that the Gen six car,

"Did not race as good as our generation five cars. This is more like what the generation five was at the beginning."

To me, that sounds like an observation.  Not a brash opinion.  And to me, it makes sense.  All new things need a break in period.  And this statement is just that, a constructive and EXPECTED statement.

And most of us out here in the land of fans may have never heard of the statement had NASCAR not lobbed a $25k fine at Denny Hamlin because,

"The sanctioning body will not tolerate publicly made comments by its drivers that denigrate the racing product."

I did not see Denny's comment as such.  Did you?  He did not call it a flying brick.  He did not say it sucks.  He just suggested (to me) that it still needs some work.

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As far as I know, most professional sports have guidelines and rules about bad-mouthing their sport.  It's a bit of a defensive posture that protects the sponsors and backing entities of the sport.

When I was a professional bowler, there were distinct rules about not trashing on the bowling alley or its staff and various other guidelines.

But I saw nothing derogatory from Hamlin.

At this point in time, he's declared that he's not paying the fine and they can suspend him if they want.

He's also said he's done making commentary,

"I'll be honest. I'm not going to say anything for the rest of the year, as long as it relates to competition."

I can't blame him either.  So now the community knows that no one dare compare the Gen six car to the COT (AKA, Gen five) car.

Though I suspect they might be getting sensitive to the single-file car.  I don't make that statement in a negative tone, but from the observations I've seen so far of the up-front racing in the last few events from Daytona and Phoenix.

The product was incredible over the last few years, but so far, well, I'm still trying to reserve my judgement.

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And despite the rules, events or moments like this take some steam out of the fans expectations.  Now we are always going to wonder what was really going on in anyone's head.  And anything that they say, may very well only be obliging the rules, daring not to cross that line.

Drivers have been fined for various statements and phrases.  This overly stern oversight, if not more carefully balanced out, could make for a very vanilla looking sport.  Everyone is going to be just like Jimmie Johnson.  Well, without the Lowe's suit.

I suspect Denny's agent or team owner will step up and have a chat with him and we'll more than likely hear the prerequisite apology that's necessary in this world of sports and politics.

He'll pay his fine and move on with it.

But again, another odd and interesting eye-opener comes out of NASCAR.

   NASCAR-Bits-and-Pieces on Twitter & Facebook & G+.
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No More Secret NASCAR Fines, No More Inside Thoughts

In case you had not heard the news, NASCAR has abolished the "secret fine" practice.

In reality, it was never working anyway.  When ever someone was fined, we always seem to hear about it.  Or as far as we know.  But this secret fine business was in contrast to the family friendly and openness they professed was part of the sport.

But that's OK.

And it seems the drivers like it too.  Kevin Harvick says that this new policy will help make things clearer.

In the past, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin have found themselves on the receiving end of some of these unspoken fines from things they've said about different aspects of the racing.

In one way, it's a bit disappointing that the drivers can't speak their minds.  It gives the fans a fascinating insight to the real, dirty inside of the sport.