NASCAR officials handed out a number of notable penalties at Las Vegas on Sunday, including one which could have changed the fate of the race.
Denny Hamlin took the chequered flag to win his first race of the year, but the No. 11 car was one of a handful dinged for speeding on pit road – going just 0.03mph over the limit.
That sent him to the back of the field to start Stage 2, meaning that he had to fight all the way back from 31st to claim his first victory since last fall's race at the exact same venue.
He also got handed a penalty a couple of laps later for pitting before pit road was open, but the penalty for that was to go to the back of the field...where he had already been sent.
Eight drivers ended up being punished for going to fast in the restricted speed zone of pit road, one of them (Justin Allgaier, filling in for Alex Bowman as he recovers from vertigo symptoms) twice.
In the end though, Hamlin claimed his 61st victory to break a tie with Kevin Harvick for tenth most all-time in the Cup Series.
NASCAR RESULTS TODAY: Blaney survives Phoenix chaos to save the day for Penske
| Lap | Driver (Car No.) | Infraction | Penalty | NASCAR Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Speeding on pit road | Pass Thru | N/A |
| 32 | Justin Allgaier (48) | Speeding on pit road | Pass Thru | N/A |
| 39 | Justin Allgaier (48) | Speeding on pit road | Pass Thru | N/A |
| 83 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Speeding on pit road | Tail End | N/A |
| 83 | Ty Gibbs (54) | Speeding on pit road | Tail End | N/A |
| 84 | Chase Briscoe (19) | Car/Truck pitting out of the assigned pit box | Tail End | N/A |
| 87 | Denny Hamlin (11) | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | N/A |
| 122 | Josh Berry (21) | Speeding on pit road | Pass Thru | N/A |
| 122 | Todd Gilliland (34) | Speeding on pit road | Pass Thru | N/A |
| 160 | Carson Hocevar (77) | Speeding on pit road | Tail End | N/A |
| 167 | Riley Herbst (35) | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | N/A |
| 212 | Connor Zilisch (88) | Pitting before pit road is open | Tail End | N/A |
| 229 | Cody Ware (51) | Speeding on pit road | Pass Thru | N/A |
READ MORE: NASCAR Cup Series team hit with triple penalty at Phoenix
