Denny Hamlin, Ty Gibbs pick up costly speeding penalties ahead of Stage 2 at Las Vegas

Joe Gibbs Racing had control of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway throughout Stage 1. The start of Stage 2 was a disaster, with both Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs guilty of speeding entering pit road.

Hamlin led 59 laps in Stage 1. He will now have to start from 20th at the start of Stage 2 and race through the field. As for Gibbs, while not as strong as Christopher Bell or Hamlin, his No. 54 Toyota has speed and he was in the mix in Stage 1. Like Hamlin, he’s been positioned in the middle of the pack.

It’s a costly penalty for both but especially Hamlin, who just barely went over the maximum speed. Hamlin was clocked at 50.03 mph. He was in disbelief on the radio.

“Are we for sure a penalty?” Hamlin asked his team.

Denny Hamlin has the speed to win at Las Vegas

He was, in fact, over the speed limit. In taking two JGR cars out of the top five, it changes the race in a major way. All of a sudden, it’s Hendrick Motorsports flexing their muscles with Kyle Larson leading and Chase Elliott and William Byron running third and fourth, respectively. Bell is sandwiched in between the Hendrick threesome running second.

There’s plenty of race to go and Hamlin has already gained significant ground. His No. 11 Toyota is one of the best cars in the field, so he should still be in contention as the race goes on.