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Denny Hamlin got honest about the NASCAR appeal process.

Denny Hamlin weighed in on what Ryan Preece can expect as the latter attempts to appeal a behavioral penalty handed down by NASCAR. The driver of the No. 60 was docked 25 driver points and fined $50,000 after it was deemed he intentionally wrecked Ty Gibbs at Texas.

Hamlin, who has been through the appeals process before, does not believe Preece has a fair chance of winning. While he believes the RFK Racing driver has a solid case, Hamlin made an honest assessment of how the appeals process unfolds.

Hamlin on NASCAR appeals process: ‘Not a fair fight’

On the most recent episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Hamlin recalled when he had to go through the appeals process in 2023.

In the March Phoenix race of that year, Hamlin was docked 25 points and fined $50,000 after it was ruled he intentionally wrecked Ross Chastain on the final lap. The penalty came after the driver of the No. 11 noted on his podcast that it was intentional.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver attempted to appeal, but was denied. Based on his own experience, Hamlin does not believe the appeals process is fair.

“People think, ‘Oh, well you have the appeals and stuff,’ and we did a podcast after our appeal. It’s not a fair fight, guys. It’s not broadcasted for a reason,” Hamlin said.

Despite not winning an appeal himself, Hamlin feels Preece will present a strong case for how he did not intentionally wreck Gibbs. The 45-year-old went on to express interest in how NASCAR came to the conclusion that Preece’s move was intentional based on SMT data.

“I think he has a legit shot to get it overturned just based off of facts and evidence. It’s interesting that they’re now using SMT as a comp for evidence. When I brought it up, they said, ‘Well, SMT is a very non-scientific way of looking at things. We don’t put a lot of faith in that,’” Hamlin said.

Even if Preece has a strong argument for the move being unintentional, Hamlin made it clear that NASCAR will have the final word. No matter what, Hamlin said there is no objections that can be made from Preece’s side. 

“Just so you know, on their side, when they start giving their explanation to this independent panel, there is no, ‘I object.’ That’s not true. You can’t say that. You just have to sit there and let them say whatever they want to say. The process is not a fair fight for the ones that are appealing,” Hamlin said.

How Preece’s penalty affects his Chase hopes

With The Chase format returning ahead of this season, every point matters in an effort to make the 16-driver cut at the end of the regular season.

Pending the appeals process, Preece lost 25 points in his bid for his first Chase appearance. After 12 races, the Berlin, Connecticut native sits 13th in the points standings, 19 points above the cut line. 

Had the penalty not been handed down, Preece would be ninth in the standings, 44 points above the cutoff.