If you are a NASCAR enthusiast and have not already made the Denny Hamlin podcast part of your weekly ritual, this week would be a great time to start. Following Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500, Hamlin decided to shed some light on the NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway racing conundrum that has been created. Thus, the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast was incredibly thought-provoking.
Over the past several years, NASCAR has made significant changes to the racing dynamics at the sport’s two fastest tracks, Daytona and Talladega. Although the changes have been implemented in the name of safety, Hamlin argues that the opposite is true while also questioning the “sport” of superspeedway racing as a whole. The episode covers multiple hot topics from the behavior of drivers on these tracks to the car setup.
Denny Hamlin Podcast Shares Insights on State of NASCAR Superspeedway Racing
At the onset of this week’s Actions Detrimental podcast, one can’t help but suspect that Denny Hamlin is speaking from a sour grapes mindset. After all, he had the lead coming out of Turn 2 on the final lap of what might have been his fourth career Daytona 500 victory. This feat would have put him in rare company, as only Richard Petty and Cale Yarborough can claim to have won “The Great American Race” on four different occasions.
While Hamlin was clearly frustrated with the lack of not just a win but a solid result, it became clear early in the episode that his frustrations and commentary would go much deeper than the way that this year’s Daytona 500 ended.
As Hamlin and Jared Allen began to break down what transpired in Sunday’s race, two key topics came to the forefront. One was the decisions of drivers when running in these superspeedway races. The other was the style and nature of the races themselves thanks to countless rule changes and the overall super speedway setup of the Next Gen Car.
Hamlin: “NASCAR Focused More on Entertainment Than Sport”
As most serious NASCAR fans know, the cars used to run much faster on superspeedway tracks like Daytona. With steep banking and wide racing surfaces, Daytona and Talladega are the fastest tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit. Back in the day, the top cars used to rip around these tracks at well over 210 mph.
Following the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt in the 2001 Daytona 500 and a couple of other scary wrecks, NASCAR began implementing a restrictor plate racing package to limit the speeds of the cars at these tracks. Although the changes were made in the name of safety, the result was a more even playing field as the top speed allowed was suddenly attainable by even the lesser race teams. Nowadays, superspeedway racing in NASCAR is fully dependent on bump drafting and cars running in a pack to achieve maximum speeds.
The Denny Hamlin podcast saw the Cup Series veteran argue that the two- and three-wide racing that is now commonplace in the Daytona 500 and other superspeedway races may look great on TV but it is not helping safety or the true sport of NASCAR. The still relatively new Next Gen Car has only heightened what Hamlin referred to as the “superspeedway problem.” While he was exaggerating a bit when he said these cars “only go 175 mph”, he was fully accurate in stating that it’s damn near impossible to make good racing moves to pass. Even compared to the previous Gen-6 cars, superspeedway races look a whole lot different now.
Daytona 500 Truly All About Luck Now?
Hamlin is part of the camp that feels strongly that the new package and racing style have turned prestigious superspeedway races like the Daytona 500 into a game of chance more than a sport of skill. He also made an interesting point regarding William Byron winning the 500 for the second straight year, saying that NASCAR got somewhat fortunate with that outcome. What if it had been a different driver on a lower-budget team? Would that be a result that anyone would feel good about? Because of the last-lap wreck, Byron won the race despite sitting in ninth place when the white flag for one lap to go was waved.
Drivers Making Poor Decisions Leads to Daytona Wrecks
Along with discussing the cars and setup issues, Denny Hamlin also pointed plenty of blame at the drivers on his podcast this week. “Dumbass driving” was a term that he used to describe some of the poor moves and decisions being made. In addition to being frustrated with Cole Custer for causing the last-lap wreck that took him out, Hamlin was perplexed by some of the other overly aggressive moves that caused crashes in the preceding laps. As he points out, no move with 15 to go is going to win you the race.
Hamlin gave kudos to fellow driver Austin Cindric, who he was racing for the win late. He expressed a comfort level in racing with/against Cindric on the superspeedways because he knows he won’t rush to throw a drastic block or pull a crazy move with miles still to go in the race.
Is NASCAR Media Coverage to Blame?
The Denny Hamlin podcast also pointed the finger at NASCAR media personnel and outlets. Essentially, Hamlin feels that drivers are not being held accountable for “dumbass driving” in the Daytona 500 and other superspeedway races. The phrases “just going for it” and “that’s just superspeedway racing” have become cop-outs in his mind to absolve drivers of fault. This again tied back into his argument that the art of racing sport/skill is being watered down in favor of entertainment and luck on these tracks.
Hamlin’s Proposed Fixes and Advice
As for the cars and packages that NASCAR runs on superspeedways, Hamlin would like to see the speed raised back to 200 mph and the spoilers reduced. He argues that this will make the maneuverability of the cars tremendously better and even enhance driver safety because clean moves will once again be able to be made. Naturally, this would also heighten the overall racing because it would no longer be 40 cars just riding around “stuck to the track” anymore.
As for the fears of scary crashes and flipping cars? Well, clearly that is still happening at slower speeds with cars bunched up. See Ryan Preece’s wreck in this year’s 500 and his crash in the summer Daytona race two years back.
As for the drivers, Hamlin urges them to exercise more patience. The point he made was that until you come off of Turn 4 and can see the start/finish line on the final lap, why risk getting wrecked? To that end, media coverage of the sport could help by pushing more accountability for nonsensical racing moves.
Personal Reactions
The main moral of the story here is I highly urge any and all NASCAR fans to give this week’s episode of the Denny Hamlin podcast a listen. I personally consider Daytona and Talladega to be my two favorite tracks on the circuit. However, it’s impossible not to agree with Hamlin on the fact that NASCAR has a major superspeedway problem right now. From the cars to the drivers, change needs to be made.
The finish of this year’s Daytona 500 was very disappointing on multiple levels. Hamlin puts so many things into perspective on the podcast the way only a veteran driver who is in the midst of it can. Do yourself a favor and listen to the episode with an open mind! The prestige of the sport and specifically “The Great American Race” could very well depend on appropriate changes being made.
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