Denny Hamlin loses 2 crew members for key NASCAR playoff round
BRISTOL, Tenn. — Denny Hamlin is losing two crew members for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12 after a detached wheel incident at Bristol.
NASCAR suspended Austin Maloney and Joel Bouagnon for the next two races – Sept. 21 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Sept. 28 Kansas Speedway. The No. 11 team will defer the penalty, meaning they will serve their suspensions starting at Kansas and Oct. 5 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
The penalty stems from an incident in the Bristol Night Race on lap 385 of 500. Hamlin’s right-front tire – with the wheel – came off entering turn one, causing a wreck involving himself, AJ Allmendinger and William Byron.
Hamlin had pitted for fresh tires on lap 367. He returned to pit road for a new right-front wheel and a two-lap penalty as NASCAR believed the lug nut wasn’t tightened properly during the stop.
Hamlin’s wreck was the second-to-last caution in the race. He finished 31st, five laps down.
Hamlin will start the Round of 12 in the lead with 3,034 points. He is 26 points above the cutline and 21 above the highest the cutline can go in the round.
In the Round of 12 are New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway where Hamlin has had success. Then, the round ends with the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval — a tough track for Hamlin.
Joe Gibbs Racing hasn’t listed replacements for Maloney and Bouagnon on the roster portal yet.
MORE: Christopher Bell bests NASCAR Cup field in wild Bristol Night Race
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com