When it comes to the penalty issued by NASCAR against Bubba Wallace on Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, team owner but rival competitor Denny Hamlin is staying out of the process but understands why everything happened.

Hamlin has two hats that he wears at this stage of his career -- driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 and team co-owner of 23XI Racing and they sometimes come in conflict. As a result, Hamlin says dealing with the immediate aftermath of the ‘out of bounds’ penalty was the responsibility of 23XI Performance Director Dave Rogers.

Bubba Wallace argues against costly penalty that stripped him of runner-up finish

Shane van Gisbergen says "nothing" in his career prepared him for NASCAR at Atlanta

With that said, Hamlin said on Monday night’s Actions Detrimental podcast that he understood why Wallace was immediately issued the penalty that dropped him from second to 29th.

“I mean, when I watched it, I was thinking that that's definitely going to be a penalty because I've been penalized for it before, so I know and understand the rule and that it's not that you gain a position but you can't put yourself into position to gain a position,” Hamlin said. “Does that make any sense?”

NASCAR Rule Book Section 8.3.2 states:

“If NASCAR determines that a vehicle goes beneath the double painted lines to improve its position it will be black-flagged. If NASCAR determines that a vehicle forces another vehicle beneath the double painted lines in an effort to advance its own position, the vehicle may be black-flagged.”

Hamlin is explaining that the word to is doing a lot of heavy lifting in the rule. It’s not about the result but the intent.

“It's not literal in the sense of advancing your position,” Hamlin said. “It's making a move to advance. There's a word in there that is very, very specific on the result doesn't matter. It's the intention. … You have to pretend that there's a wall there.

“That yellow line, that is a wall essentially, that is not concrete. … And the minute that you step your foot out of bounds, it doesn’t matter whether you gained an advantage or not; that’s what they call. So yeah, while the finishing position showed (at first) that he didn’t advance, if you look out of the middle of Turns 3 and 4, Bubba was the furthest out in front.”

In other words, Wallace intended to advance his position and did ever so briefly. Ultimately, it cost him 27 points towards his seeding in the Chase for the Championship.

“So he technically did gain, he gained the lead at some point of the move,” Hamlin said. “And that sucks because he lost a lot. He should have finished in the top three at least with the speed and everything. They came from the back again from the Ty Gibbs thing. They were fast, man. And listen, they were aggressive.”

Hamlin doesn’t even have a problem with his driver going for it in that fashion on the last lap.

“Man, going for a win, I think you have to go for it,” Wallace said. “But I mean, I need to remind you that inside the car, we can’t see the lines. When I’m going down the backstretch at Atlanta, the difference between the apron and the actual race track, there isn’t a lot of difference in the banking. …

“Bubba in his in-car, and he probably made it up in his mind, was that he was going three-wide somewhere. ‘Wherever the biggest hole is, that is where I am going.’ When you turn there, that’s the moment you first see the line, but he can’t see it when he’s behind (Carson Hocevar and Ryan Blaney).

“So you don't know where you're at on the track till you get there (and) it's almost too little too late.”

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Shane van Gisbergen backed up his February showing at Atlanta with yet another sixth-place finish at the drafting track, leading the way for Trackhouse Racing.

Van Gisbergen now has four oval top tens in his Cup career, and three of those have been during the 2026 season. At Atlanta this past weekend, he was in contention for the win in overtime, and was three-wide for second with eventual race winner Ryan Blaney as the field raced towards the white flag.

While jockeying for position, he slipped back to sixth by the time the checkered flag flew, but it was still a very impressive day for the three-time Supercars champion.

Motorsport.com's Matt Weaver caught up with Van Gisbergen after the race, and while thrilled with the result, he was still dwelling on what he could differently in the battle for the win.

"It’s awesome, but my brain is going crazy for what I could have done better," admitted Van Gisbergen. "I was beside the No. 12 car [Blaney] coming off (Turn) 4, coming to the white (flag), but yeah, it was pretty fun. It’s awesome racing here."

Despite racing on no fewer than four different continents in his impressive career, Van Gisbergen declaratively said that "nothing" prepared him for this form of racing.

"It's so different, but this is one of my better tracks. For some reason, I’m always decent here, so I’ll take it."

And it's true, as Van Gisbergen now has a pair of sixth-place finishes in the Cup Series at Atlanta, but the track is also the site of his best-ever oval showing in the NASCAR O'Reilly Series. He finished third there in 2024, which was just his second-ever oval start in the O'Reilly Series at the time.

Watch: Blaney prevails with EchoPark win in wild OT

When asked if there was anything he could have done differently, Van Gisbergen had a few thoughts. Tyler Reddick also approached him after the race, discussing the finish as they both lost out on the final restart.

"Definitely the restart," noted Van Gisbergen on what he would handle differently. "I thought I could have attached to the #45 [Reddick] better. He came up, gave me some advice after – it’s just critical to do that, and I just missed that. We probably could have gotten a better restart. And then off (Turn) 2 on the last lap, Bell really came up. I don’t know if I could have shot down below him or whatever. We kind of touched a lot and that killed all my run."

Van Gisbergen also raced around longtime rival Austin Hill a bit during the race on Sunday, and there was no drama between the two following their sit down with officials in the NASCAR hauler.

Battle to make the Chase

Shane van Gisbergen, No. 97 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

The race was also a positive for Van Gisbergen's Chase hopes, as he lost no ground and actually gained a point on the cut-line even with those around him (Jones, Logano, Cindric) all having solid points days. He is now 31 points above the cut-line.

"I was thinking that on the green/white (overtime restart), I’m like there’s no one around me that I’m racing for points, so I really needed to consolidate where I was," added Van Gisbergen. "That didn’t change my approach, but good to get a P6."

There are six races left in the regular season, with another Sunday night race next weekend at North Wilkesboro.

Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after Atlanta II 2026

Bubba Wallace argues against costly penalty that stripped him of runner-up finish

Ryan Blaney wins dramatic Atlanta NASCAR Cup race as Bubba Wallace penalized

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Upon crossing the finish line on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bubba Wallace thought he had secured a much-needed second-place towards his chances of making the Chase for the Championship.

Instead, NASCAR penalized him, sending the No. 23 to the tail-end of the lead lap (29th) for crossing below the 'out of bounds' line to improve his position. It's an infraction that he strongly disagreed with afterwards.

The move in question took place on the final lap when Wallace took leaders Ryan Blaney and Carson Hocevar three-wide down the backstretch. In the moments after the race, NASCAR issued the penalty.

“It says advancing your position, which I did not do,” Wallace said. “I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I was like, ‘I’m going to wreck,’ and got on the brakes, kept it under me, and still ended up side-by-side. That move should have propelled me to the lead, and it didn’t because I knew it was wrong because my car did not like that move.

“We’ll see what we can do, but I did not advance my position. I stayed third from the entry of (Turn) 3 all until 50 yards away.”

Watch: Wallace questions penalty, addresses Gibbs run-in

Section 8.3.2 is the section of the NASCAR Rule Book in question.

“If NASCAR determines that a vehicle goes beneath the double painted lines to improve its position it will be black-flagged. If NASCAR determines that a vehicle forces another vehicle beneath the double painted lines in an effort to advance its own position, the vehicle may be black-flagged.”

There is a mechanism for Wallace and his 23XI Racing No. 23 team to have filed an immediate petition but that's different from an appeal. After the race, Cup Series managing director Brad Moran said it cannot be appealed and the rule book spelled out the infraction.

The penalty represented a 27-point swing for Wallace, whom entered the race 77 points up and leaves 55 points up. He would have been 82 points above the cutline without the penalty.

"That’s massive for us,” Wallace said. “Everybody behind us in points is like, ‘Oh, 23.’ They see that, and they’re licking their chops. The position that we’re in, we’re not safe. We need to figure out what we need to do moving forward because, again, I did not advance my position.”

Ryan Blaney wins dramatic Atlanta NASCAR Cup race as Bubba Wallace penalized

Complete NASCAR Cup points standings after Atlanta II 2026

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Ryan Blaney won a sensational overtime finish at EchoPark Speedway in a NASCAR Cup race that did not end until nearly 2am local time.

Blaney and Carson Hocevar were battling side-by-side for the race win, while Bubba Wallace threw it under them to make it three-wide in the fight for the checkered flag.

Exiting Turn 4, Blaney had the push from Christopher Bell and surged ahead of both Hocevar and Wallace at the finish line.

This is Blaney's second victory of the 2026 season, and the 19th of his Cup career. He also won the race from pole position.

Unfortunately for Wallace, he did not get to keep the runner-up spot. NASCAR penalised Wallace after ruling that he advanced his position by going below the yellow line during the three-wide fight for the win. As a result, he was dropped from second all the way down to 29th -- the final car on the lead lap.

Ryan Blaney secures a WILD win in OT at EchoPark 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5imwKn4zJg

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) July 13, 2026

Bell will be credited with second, Hocevar third, Ty Gibbs fourth, and Erik Jones fifth.

Shane van Gisbergen finished sixth in another impressive oval run for the three-time Supercars champion, with Austin Dillon seventh, Tyler Reddick eighth, Joey Logano ninth, and Chris Buescher tenth.

“It was definitely, honestly, a pretty awesome night," said Blaney, who earned Ford its 750th NASCAR Cup win. "I mean, having a really fast car and sitting on the pole, winning both stages and leading a ton of laps and just in a position to win the race. You never know how these things are gonna end, honestly. There are a couple of things I probably could have done better, but we were able to stick around and just how the last couple laps played out we were able to get the lead back and just barely hold on. It’s a pretty cool day when you have weekends like that. You can’t ask for a better weekend – sit on the pole, sweeps the stages, win the race. That’s a dream weekend right there. These guys are great. They brought a rocket ship and it was nice that we were able to close it out.”

Stage 1

At the start of the race, Keselowski brushed the wall and quickly fell through the field, eventually losing a lap.

The field got very spread out as cars struggled for grip, with the Penske trio firmly in control.

Reddick, Larson, and Hocevar all tried to break up the Penske party, and Larson eventually did as he took advantage of Reddick battling Cindric to pass them both.

He quickly dispatched Logano as well, and nearly cleared Blaney for the lead. Blaney held firm, and as the stage progressed, it was suddenly Reddick threatening him for the lead after starting way back in 31st.

In lapped traffic, Reddick made one last run at Blaney at the end of the stage, but the No. 12 remained in command.

Blaney won Stage 1 over Reddick, Larson, Logano, Cindric, Hocevar, A. Dillon, Briscoe, Elliott, and Wallace.

The free pass went to Preece, putting him back on the lead lap.

Stage 2

Reddick and Larson won the race off pit road over Blaney, and these three continued to battle for the lead once the green flag flew.

Drivers were getting far more aggressive, leading several to touch the wall. Hocevar, Larson, and Herbst were among those who had a close encounter with the outside wall early in the run.

Undeterred, Hocevar charged forward, and took over the race lead for a bit. However, Blaney prevailed on the longer run and reclaimed control of the race.

Unfortunately, storms arrived after 108 of 260 laps of racing, forcing an immediate red flag with lightning visible just outside the track. This yellow also put Chastain back on the lead lap via the free pass.

Lightning and rain stops NASCAR Cup Atlanta race just before halfway

The stoppage lasted over three hours, and the green flag did not wave again until midnight, local time. Drivers also opted to pit, with several different strategies unfolding. Blaney and Logano went fuel-only, while Wallace and Reddick led another group with two-tire calls, and then Jones leading the rest on four fresh tires from tenth on back.

There was constant action, but once again, Penske held onto the front of the field with Blaney and Logano.

Late in the stage, Hocevar abruptly slowed with an issue. On the final lap of the stage, Wallace was inside the top five when he spun off the nose of Gibbs right as the green-and-white checkered flag.

Blaney went on to win Stage 2, ahead of Reddick, Logano, Cindric, Suarez, Gibbs, Bell, Jones, Hamlin, and Van Gisbergen.

Keselowski got the free pass during the stage break.

Bubba Wallace spins out as Ryan Blaney takes Stage 2 at EchoPark 😬 pic.twitter.com/EpWj2Hd0nO

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) July 13, 2026

Stage 3

Gibbs and Cindric won the race off pit road, and suddenly it was a very different look to the front of the field as Blaney (and others) had to wait on fuel.

The JGR cars were suddenly the ones setting the pace now, with Gibbs leading Bell despite nonstop action right behind them.

Right on the edge of the fuel window, Allmendinger slid into the door of McDowell and spun sideways, causing a caution. Smith secured the free pass under this caution period.

AJ Allmendinger wasn't happy on the radio after his spinout 😳 pic.twitter.com/89FrzULMcZ

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) July 13, 2026

Bell then won the race off pit road with a two-tire call, restarting side-by-side with larson. Larson.

What followed was nonstop battling for the race lead. The main players were Wallace, Blaney, Larson, Reddick, and Bell. There were several sketchy moments throughout the pack, including when Chastain made a four-wide pass, and the cars above him narrowly held onto their twitching cars -- including his teammate, Van Gisbergen.

With 30 laps to go, Blaney actually got into the wall after Wallace blocked him in the battle for the race lead. At the same time, the caution flew for Allmendinger, who blew a tire and slammed the wall. Blaney was not happy and drove up alongside his friend in the No. 23 under caution to show his displeasure.

Chastain in eighth was one of the first to pit for tires, with a lot of cars behind him following him down into pit lane.

Blaney took the lead on the restart, despite complaining about a vibration. Hocevar moved up to second, as Larson spun sideways from inside the top 10 due to a stack-up ahead of him.

On the restart, it was more of the same as Hocevar, Blaney, and Wallace traded the lead constantly. 

With six laps to go, Larson squeezed up into Hamlin at the exit of Turn 2, sending Larson crashing into both the outside and inside walls. Briscoe spun in avoidance, crashing as well while collecting both Hill and Herbst. Bowman and T. Dillon got a small piece of it as well.

Chase Briscoe and Riley Herbst also pick up damage on another Kyle Larson crash 😳 pic.twitter.com/quqSgssfwl

— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) July 13, 2026

Hocevar was in the lead for an overtime restart, and started reciting '(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight' by Cutting Crew over the radio ahead of the critical restart.

While Blaney initially got clear with a push from Wallace, Hocevar fought back, and had a decent lead at the white flag. Van Gisbergen made a late charge and was three-wide for second, but it was Blaney who had the momentum for the final 1.5 miles.

As Blaney and Hocevar raced side-by-side, Wallace made it three-wide on the bottom as Smith wrecked in the back.

Hocevar had zero drafting help exiting Turn 4, and got swallowed up as Blaney pulled ahead and took the win for Team Penske.

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