NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell has dismissed an 'absurd' suggestion that fans could be concerned about the integrity of Sunday's Cup Series championship race.
Denny Hamlin has made it to the doorstep of his first ever title at the age of 44, despite the off-track distraction of an ongoing lawsuit his 23XI Racing team have filed against the sport's ownership.
The dispute has frequently turned rancorous in court, while Hamlin continues to split his duties as 23XI co-owner and title-chasing Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
At the annual State of the Sport press conference, O'Donnell was asked if any concern that 'NASCAR fans or skeptics' might believe any penalty handed down to 'habitual pit road speeder' Hamlin on Sunday was an intentional punishment from those running the sport.
NASCAR: No concern over conspiracy theorists
"No," answered O'Donnell. "Because we have all the technology in place. We have an unbelievable officiating team. I think that question actually is a bit absurd. I’m pretty confident in the decisions we’ll make and the transparency we’ve had throughout the year."
Hamlin, for his part, has insisted throughout the year that he believes he's been treated fairly as a driver throughout the legal process which has been proceeding away from the track.
O'Donnell was also asked a further officiating question about the sudden departure of NASCAR race director Jusan Hamilton last month, saying: "Yeah, nothing I can share other than it was an internal personnel matter. Wish Jusan well. Did a great job for us. Tim Bermann is calling the races.
"I think I’d probably be remiss, knock on wood here, but I answered two years in a row, I was up here answering officiating questions about missed calls, bad calls. I don’t think Elton Sawyer has been behind the hauler once this year. I want to give a bit of a tribute to the team. Anything can happen this weekend. I think those guys deserve acknowledgment for doing a hell of a job throughout the year."
