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Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

The top 12 Sprint Cup drivers came through the Pocono Raceway media center one by one Friday, sitting down in front of the microphone in a four-hour-plus orgy of content providing, knowing that anything they said can and will be used against them, either by NASCAR or the media or both.

It was the first weekly press session in the Sprint Cup series in the wake of Monday's Associated Press story that NASCAR had secretly fined two drivers for negative comments about the sport, with one being a $50,000 fine.

Most of the drivers more or less circled the wagons and said they understood and supported their sanctioning body's actions because if it's for the good of the sport, it's okay, and who better to decide than NASCAR.

But it was Denny Hamlin who, after confirming he was one of those fined, really stepped up to the plate of honesty and frankness, criticizing NASCAR's decision to keep the fine a secret and blaming his fine in part on his penchant for Tweeting.

Hamlin said he told NASCAR officials he was raised to be honest. And he still was Friday, despite the fine and potential for more. His honesty was rewarded with 17 straight questions on the subject, to which he provided 17 honest answers, come NASCAR-hell or high water.

Hamlin wouldn't say how much his fine was, but "there's been illegal parts in the garage that have not gotten hit as bad as I did."

Hamlin said he thought his Tweeting was to blame for at least some of his fine. "It's more than likely the Twitter comments more than anything that kind of got me in trouble with them," he said. "They did give me a pretty good log book of all the negative things I've had to say over the last couple of months."

The other driver who was secretly fined, Ryan Newman, also confirmed that fact but said he was frustrated about the fine "because I didn't understand what it was or why it was," the Associated Press reported.

 

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Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Sprint Cup, NASCAR

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) -- Ryan Newman says he was one of the drivers fined by NASCAR for making critical comments about the racing series and hinted that Denny Hamlin was another.

Newman refused to disclose on Friday the amount of the fine or what he said. He implied that it was for comments he made after he crashed at Talladega Superspeedway.

People familiar with the penalties told the AP this week fines were levied because the comments were considered disparaging to the sport. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because NASCAR was not publicly identifying the topflight drivers it fined.

Newman says the penalties are "behind me. It's behind Denny right now." Hamlin was scheduled to meet the media later Friday at Pocono Raceway.

Newman says he was frustrated about the fine "because I didn't understand what it was or why it was."

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