NASCAR explains Ryan Preece penalty, why Kyle Busch wasn't penalized for similar wreck

Denny Hamlin nailed it again when it comes to NASCAR penalty enforcement. He correctly guessed that what was said in incidents involving Kyle Busch and Ryan Preece at Texas was almost as important as what actually happened on the track.

And now NASCAR vice president of racing communications Mike Forde has essentially confirmed that is the case. Preece was fined $50,000 and docked 25 points for wrecking Ty Gibbs. Meanwhile, Busch was not penalized for wrecking John Hunter Nemechek.

One of the main differences? Essentially just the radio communications.

“We do look at all available resources, whether that’s the video, in-car audio, SMT data,” Forde said on the Hauler Talk podcast. “And really what this came down to is … (Preece) said what he said, and then he did what he said. And so in our view, it was intentionally wrecking another vehicle.”

Busch, though seemingly going after Nemechek, did not communicate that over the radio. So he was safe. Forde also indicated that Busch’s handling had been altered by damage from a previous incident with Nemechek, and that showed up in the data readouts.

“The SMT data is largely what played a role for us in this decision,” Forde said. “(NASCAR VP of competition) Elton Sawyer said the data told us that after the incident, (Busch) was turning the wheel all the way left just to go straight. So we had a feeling that he had some pretty significant damage. And it was inconclusive on if that was a damaged vehicle that caused (Busch) to get into (Nemechek), or if it was intentional. There were zero things that, in our opinion, said he did this intentionally, and it rose to the level of penalty. So that’s why we landed on no penalty.

“There was no audio that came out that said, ‘I’m going to wreck the 42,’ and then he wrecked the 42. So that’s one. And then two is the SMT data didn’t show anything that suggested that he did do it, and also the fact that his steering was so jacked, it showed that there was at least a plausible chance that his car had some damage that led to what happened.”

NASCAR’s ruling, though, is likely to draw scrutiny from certain corners. Hamlin suggested relying on communications for penalty enforcement is a dicey game.

He also noted that’s how the organization has seemingly decided things in the past. He knows it all too well.

“I don’t know. Does NASCAR just kind of use their common sense judgment?” Hamlin said. “Or do they say, ‘Well, there’s just not enough evidence.’ When I said that I washed (Ross) Chastain up into the wall I got a point fine and things like that. But in the end it was because I said it.

“I don’t know that Kyle’s refuting it, but he’s also not saying that, ‘Yeah, I took (him out).’ In so many words he is, ‘You started it…’ and then left the ending unsaid.”

The veteran NASCAR driver then weighed in on the idea of using radio chatter to make decisions. Suffice it to say, he’s not a fan.

“I hate to say it, it’s a stupid sport if you just depend on like what people say to make rules, official calls,” Hamlin said of Busch’s situation. “That’s silly. You should just use common sense usually. But it was not a good situation. This track is fast, and yeah, just not ideal. That was not recommended.”