NASCAR standings 2014: Denny Hamlin finishes 3rd; NASCAR seizes parts from car

INDIANAPOLIS — An up-and-down weekend continued for Denny Hamlin when NASCAR confiscated parts off his car during post-race inspection after a third-place finish Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A NASCAR spokesman said no violations were committed but the firewall block-off plates seized from the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing car “could have some possible issues.” Any potential penalties would likely be announced Tuesday.

Block-off plates are designed to prevent smoke, fire and fluids from getting into the cockpit. If air was allowed to flow through the block-off plates it could give a car an aerodynamic advantage.

That his car ran afoul of NASCAR’s rules after a third-place finish was symbolic of Hamlin’s Brickyard 400 experience.

After struggling in qualifying Saturday and posting just the 27th-fastest time, an exasperated Hamlin told ESPN the network didn’t “have enough air time” for him to list all the problems hampering the No. 11 team.

“The way I woke up this morning, I would have taken 13th,” Hamlin said post-race.

Yet once the green flag waved Sunday, Hamlin was among the fastest on the track. He twice cycled into the lead after a series of pit stops and was well-positioned to win.

Then a mistake on pit road occurred where the No. 11 crew didn’t fully fuel the car. The error would force Hamlin to make an unplanned pit stop and any track position advantage he once had was gone.

“I was pretty confident we were going to win the race,” Hamlin said. “If it all worked out, we were going to have a 15-second lead with enough fuel to make it. We were sitting really, really pretty to win this race.”