Hamlin, Newman Confirm Fines

LONG POND, Pa. - NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman admitted Friday at Pocono Raceway that they had been hit with fines for making disparaging remarks about NASCAR racing.

Though neither driver revealed the amount of his fine, Hamlin did nothing to dispel reports that his penalty was substantial, perhaps as high as $50,000.

"There's been illegal parts in the garage that have not gotten hit as bad as I did," Hamlin said.

Hamlin believed he was fined for an accumulation of negative remarks and postings on Twitter. He said he now understands that there are other avenues of communication available to him.

"I think there's a better way to do it," Hamlin said. "Up until two weeks ago, I didn't have (NASCAR president) Mike Helton's phone number or (senior vice president ) Steve O'Donnell's phone number—nobody's phone number. How was I going to voice my opinion if I didn't know how to get in touch with them?

"I'm sure I could have, but on the other hand, (vice president of corporate communications) Jim Hunter said, 'Hey, voice your opinion through the media and it will get to us—it's always worked.' But they said, 'Don't do that.' It's kind of contradictory, but I understand there is a better way to do it now."

Newman likewise wasn't specific about a particular reason for his fine, but he did reference last April's race at Talladega, where his car was wrecked during an attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish.

Newman's angry post-race comments including the following: "That's not racing. It's supposed to be racing all day long, and I think we've lost a little bit of that luster."

Criticizing the racing is a hot-button issue for NASCAR, but Newman indicated that, in the heat of the moment, it's sometimes difficult to be politically correct.

"When you're running 200 miles an hour, and you get crashed by somebody else, and you end up upside down and you can't get out of your car for 12 minutes, there's times when you want to say some things that you probably shouldn't say," Newman said Friday at Pocono.

Hamlin said he will continue to be outspoken, but he understands where the line is.

"I think questioning the integrity is off limits, saying races are fixed, saying they're throwing phantom cautions for no reason but for show's sake," Hamlin said. "Those are things we definitely don't need in our sport. It's not saying, 'Hey, I don't think that the new Chase format is what we need.' That's not it. It's more the direct questioning of officiating."