Denny Hamlin discussed the culture of reporting in the NASCAR garage during the Atlanta Cup race. The race had a controversial start when it was revealed that a penalty would be imposed on a two-time NASCAR Cup champion for using modified gloves to gain an advantage. This violation of the SFI specialization has sparked speculation about how NASCAR discovered the infraction. Denny Hamlin, a veteran driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, shared his thoughts on the controversy during his podcast, suggesting that it was likely a whistle-blower who exposed the illegal move by the Penske Racing driver.
According to Hamlin, there are individuals in the garage who act as informants, reporting any illegal actions they observe to the race tower as part of a self-policing system. Once the race tower is aware of the infraction, the information is passed on to the senior VPs of NASCAR, who then instruct the marshals to investigate the teams involved. While self-policing can be beneficial for sports, ensuring fair play and deterring teams from taking illegal shortcuts, Hamlin also cautioned that it can stifle natural innovation if taken to an extreme.
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