Denny Hamlin was happy for the yellow line rule to be implemented at Talladega which saw Matt DiBenedetto penalized in the last lap of the race.
DiBenedetto finished second but was penalized for forcing William Byron below the yellow line. He was downgraded to a 21st-place finish. Hamlin crossed the yellow line but his move was justified because he was doing so to avoid a wreck.
Hamlin believes that NASCAR should implement the rule whether it’s lap one or the last lap.
Speaking about his views and whether he agrees with the rule, Hamlin said:
“Yeah, absolutely. I’ve been a victim of getting forced down there all the time. Finally they put their foot down and said, This is the rule, we’re going to enforce it.
“You can’t as a leader, wherever you are, use the yellow line as a defense. You have to play within the boundaries that they set. In NFL they had force‑out rules, things like that. They got rid of it. It’s the same kind of thing.
“They set the precedence early so you know you weren’t going to get away with it. It’s part of it. I wouldn’t say I would have done anything different if I was Matt. I don’t know. I’m not a huge blocking guy. I don’t know. I don’t always think you have to block to win.”
Hamlin came back to winning ways after a somewhat disappointing performance in the playoffs before the Talladega win.
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