Denny Hamlin’s Bank of America 400 at Charlotte came apart on the first pit stop, and the question of who was responsible has stayed alive since. Steve Letarte, the former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, broke down the incident, pointing to a split-second decision on pit road that he believes did more damage than the mistake that drew the penalty.
“The big issue was this tire right here,” Letarte said on NASCAR’s Inside the Race. “He was called for a safety violation because this crew member, unfortunately, falls over and touches the ground. It could have been equipment interference as well because that tire is now to the left of the gas man. It is absolutely in the way. So a total mistake.
“So the first issue was a mistake. Being blocked in, this is a little bit of a lack of preparation for me. The nose of this car can come all the way here. There’s got to be 10 feet there. And he’s not running well in this race.”
The incident that Letarte is referring to took place on Lap 36 of 267 when Hamlin was comfortably in the top 10 before the caution flag flew, kicking off the first round of pit stops.
During this pit stop, while trying to stop a tire from rolling into Connor Zilisch’s pit box, the crew member fell over the pit wall. This warranted a penalty for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team.
NASCAR’s rulebook defines a safety violation as any action that creates an unsafe environment or threatens the safety of others, judged at the sanctioning body’s discretion.
Separately, a tire counts as controlled only if it causes no safety issues and stays within set proximity limits, and crew members or equipment may not interfere with another crew’s stop.
Post-race, while talking to the media, Denny Hamlin summarized his race in just one word.
“Lackluster day. We’ve got to execute better,” he said.
Letarte also highlighted footage showing the No. 11 crew re-measuring their pit box immediately after the No. 88 blocked them.
“This is the pit crew re-measuring the pit box because they now realize that this team’s going to be an issue, and they’re going to move the sign back,” The former Hendrick Motorsport crew chief said.
He then explained how the rules apply to the stall:
“The tail of your car can be outside your pit box. It’s the tires that can.”
“Look how much different they are behind. They’re four feet further back. I think that’s where they need to be on stop one.”
However, the misfortune did not stop at that. Just moments later, Denny Hamlin was blocked in by Connor Zilisch’s No. 88 Trackhouse Racing car.
The No. 88 team did try to make up for it later in the race. Zilisch’s crew delayed and shifted its stops so the stall was empty whenever Hamlin came down pit road.
Letarte was also joined by Kyle Petty, who gave his view on the incident about the No. 11 car being blocked. He said,
“I’m going to put it back on the 11, more so. More so than I’m putting it on the 88. And this is why: because the 11 has more to lose in this situation.
“They should have read the tea leaves before that because they have more to lose by pitting in their box, in the proper place, counting on the other guy, whatever. When you’ve got more to lose, you need to think one step farther. The 88 didn’t do them any favors.”
Hamlin recovered to finish fifth, one spot ahead of Kyle Larson in sixth. But the missing Stage 1 points were costly. Larson scored 49 points to Hamlin’s 40, so Hamlin lost nine more and now trails by 49 with four races left.
