Denny Hamlin Rails Against NASCAR After Crashing In Chaotic Ending To The Daytona 500

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Sunday’s Daytona 500 saw Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron claim his second consecutive victory in NASCAR‘s most prominent race. Byron led the field to the checkered flag after spending most the race mid-pack, but he was able to avoid three major wrecks in the last 15 laps to climb his way to front.

Now three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, who led halfway through the final race of the lap only to get caught up in a crash, is voicing his concerns with NASCAR as well as his fellow drivers.

Denny Hamlin Says Daytona 500 Has Become More Entertainment Than Sport

“The entertainment of it has far overtaken the sport of it, and I don’t know how we reverse things,” Hamlin said on the most recent episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast. “You will hear all week from the media, ‘That’s just superspeedway racing,’ and all that is is a cop-out for those who make stupid moves. No one holds anyone accountable anymore. You chalk it up to, ‘Well, it happens all the time.’ How about we actually call out what it is? Are the cars making us do this? Are the drivers doing this?’ It’s a combination of both, I believe.”

This isn’t a new angle from Hamlin, who is by far the sport’s most outspoken driver. The last time NASCAR raced on a superspeedway, Hamlin called the results of October’s race at Talladega a “sham.” But now it appears he’s reached a new level of frustration.

“I’m losing my love of the sport because I feel like it’s going by the wayside for the sake of entertainment,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin, 44, holds the NASCAR record for wins without a series championship at 54. He’s won just about everything else there is to win. So it’s easy to understand his frustration. Especially as a co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside Michael Jordan.

But it’s also hard to see what NASCAR could really do at this point to change superspeedway racing. Even with more horsepower, the cars would be limited by restrictor plates. Pack racing is inevitable. The series runs just six “pack-style” races on its 36-race calendar. So Hamlin might just have to get over it at some point or another, because it’s not likely to change.

Clay Sauertieg BroBible avatar and headshot
Clay Sauertieg is an editor with an expertise in College Football and Motorsports. He graduated from Penn State University and the Curley Center for Sports Journalism with a degree in Print Journalism.