Denny Hamlin spins during Las Vegas test – Nascar

RELATED: Speeds from Thursday’s test sessions at Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS – About an hour into Thursday’s afternoon open test session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin‘s No. 11 FedEx Toyota hit the wall coming out of Turn 2, causing the Joe Gibbs Racing team to pull out a back-up for the official race weekend beginning here tomorrow.

After surveying the side of his damaged car, Hamlin still was optimistic about his chances for the weekend, even though he’ll go to a new car for Friday’s opening day at the 1.5-mile speedway.

The newly-crowned Daytona 500 champion posted the second-fastest time of the morning session (192.843 mph) – four-time Vegas winner Jimmie Johnson was just a bit quicker (192.981 mph) in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Three-time Vegas winner and Hamlin’s teammate Matt Kenseth, and Stewart-Haas Racing Chevy teammates Brian Vickers (filling in for the injured Tony Stewart) and Danica Patrick rounded out the top five fastest in the morning session.

Aric Almirola’s Ford led the afternoon session (192.940 mph), followed by Austin Dillon’s Chevy (192.658 mph) and Ryan Blaney’s Ford (191.659 mph). Kurt Busch and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five. Hamlin went back out in back-up No. 11 Toyota and turned 41 laps, posting the 10th best speed in that car.

“We made some changes and were trying some different stuff and I got a little bit loose there,’’ Hamlin said of the incident earlier in the afternoon. “I had been tight all day and we made one significant change there and I just couldn’t hold on.

“It still amazes me how much on-throttle time we’re carrying, but overall, still trying to learn this package.

“It sucks for the crew guys. We have a lot of things to try and we were pretty good all day. And that change really moved the needle, finally, but I only got one lap on it and then I wrecked.”

“It was obviously beyond my talent level,” he added, smiling.

Hamlin and other drivers also were asked about Wednesday’s penalties. Newly hired Senior Vice President for Competition Scott Miller – a former Michael Waltrip Racing executive – issued six penalties this week following the season’s second race in Atlanta.

Furniture Row Racing‘s crew chief Cole Pearn was suspended for one race in addition to the team losing 15 points and driver Martin Truex Jr. losing 15 points after being penalized for a roof flap violation. The team is appealing the pre-race inspection find, however.

Ten teams were either fined or issued warnings – a stern start to Miller’s tenure.

“I guess everybody realizes NASCAR is policing the sport tougher and closer, looking at things closer,” Hamlin’s JGR teammate Carl Edwards said Friday from Las Vegas. “And for a sport, that’s great. You want to know you’re competing against guys who are being held to the same rules you are. I think it’s good. And it’s good to get that out of the way early in the season. If they get everyone in that box early in the season then we all know we’re racing in a fair race all year.

“When I first came to NASCAR, people asked me, ‘What’s the greatest part about it?’ It’s fun, we get to go to all these race tracks, but the coolest part as a competitor is the sanctioning body governs the sport so hard you really know you’re racing somebody with a similar piece of equipment. And any racer around the country knows that’s not the way it is most of the time.”

Hamlin agreed.

“I like it, personally,” Hamlin said of the rigorous inspection and penalty assessment.

“I think there’s always been such a huge gray area, and the line says ‘OK, you’re allowed to go to here.’ But teams go a little more and nothing gets said. I think this is a good thing that they are setting the tone early, that these are the rules and we’re going to stick to those rules.”