NASCAR won’t confirm nor deny report on fines of drivers critical of sport
NASCAR would neither confirm nor deny an Associated Press report Monday that it has fined two drivers for comments critical of the sanctioning body.
The fines, which were as much as $50,000 according to the AP, are not common in NASCAR, which typically allows its drivers to speak their minds.
“I won’t comment directly on the issues of assessments, but I will say that it is the sanctioning body’s obligation on behalf of the industry and our fans to protect the sport’s brand,” NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said in a statement Monday night.
“Any action taken by NASCAR has nothing to do with the drivers expressing an opinion; it’s focused on actions or comments that materially damage the sport. We have specifically discussed this in meetings with teams, drivers and stakeholders.”
The report did not say which drivers were fined. One of the drivers could have been Denny Hamlin, who has questioned whether NASCAR throws debris cautions late in a race to help bunch up the field.
A Hamlin team spokesman referred all questions to NASCAR.
