Denny Hamlin has hit out against NASCAR's appeals process for drivers and teams punished by the sport.

The condemnation of the system comes as Ryan Preece and RFK Racing work through the process of appealing a 25-point deduction and $50,000 fine handed down to them last week.

The punishment came after Preece got up close and personal with Ty Gibbs at Texas, with the No. 54 car wrecking into the outside wall. Opinions vary on whether the two actually made contact, but it appears to be earlier radio scanner audio that condemned the No. 60 – having said earlier in the race 'Alright, when I get to that No. 54 I'm done with him'.

Hamlin has warned that the appeals process is 'not a fair fight' though, revealing that those appealing don't get the chance to rebut any claims NASCAR makes in its statements to the independent panel.

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Hamlin: Appeals process is not a fair fight

Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast this week, Hamlin said: “People think, ‘oh they have the appeals and stuff', and we did a podcast after ours a couple of years ago and it’s not a fair fight, guys. It’s not broadcasted for a reason. Like, I think he has a legit shot of getting it overturned just based off of facts and evidence.

“But I find it interesting that they’re now using SMT as a comp for evidence. When I brought it up and they said ‘oh, SMT is a very non-scientific way of looking at things (and) we don't put a lot of faith in that’, and you can’t rebut anything when they start giving their side to this independent panel.

“There is no ‘I object, that’s not true’, You can’t say that. You have to sit there and let them say whatever they want to say. The process is not a fair fight for the ones appealing.”

He also warned that NASCAR using the radio chatter against Preece set a bad precedent, explaining: “We say that s*** all the time, we say ‘when I get back to him, he’s going to get it'. We say that all the time, right? I mean, I don’t say it often but drivers say it all the time. When Preece said ‘I’m done with him', what does that even mean?”

Hamlin's previous comments on Preece penalty

Hamlin had previously weighed in over the weekend on NASCAR's penalty decisions, specifically the choice to penalize Preece but not Kyle Busch for their respective incidents at Texas.

"It was certainly opposite than what I would've thought," he said. "But I don't know. They have more information than us bystanders who are just looking at TV and stuff like that, I'm not investigating it, cos I'm not involved."

He added: "Common sense has to be the first rule of thumb. Then you use data to either back up or deny."

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