Denny Hamlin is done sugarcoating NASCAR’s biggest problem. After a gut-wrenching loss at the 2025 Daytona 500, where he led on the final lap before being taken out in a chaotic wreck, the three-time Daytona 500 champion has let loose. In the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin didn’t hold back—he ripped into NASCAR’s obsession with entertainment over competition, the flawed playoff system, and how luck, not skill, now decides races.
“It’s Not Racing Anymore. It’s Just a Wreckfest.”
Hamlin has competed at NASCAR’s highest level for two decades, and he’s seen the sport change dramatically. But in his eyes, this isn’t evolution—it’s a step backward.
“I hate the fact of how much luck is involved in NASCAR now.”
That frustration boiled over after Sunday’s Daytona 500, where William Byron dodged wrecks to take the win, while Hamlin—who had raced at the front all day—was wrecked out of contention by Cole Custer. Instead of the best driver and car winning on merit, Hamlin sees Daytona and Talladega as pure lotteries.
“You used to be able to see the best driver, the best team, and the best strategy win these races. Now? You’re just waiting to get wrecked.”
And what does NASCAR promote? Not the skillful passes, not Byron’s “winning move”, but crashes and chaos.
“They’re going to show clips of the wreck. They’re not going to show you clips of William Byron’s winning move.”
NASCAR’s “Luck Over Skill” Problem
Hamlin’s biggest gripe isn’t just with Daytona’s wreck-fest—it’s with NASCAR’s entire direction. He claims the sport is so obsessed with creating drama that it has sacrificed legitimacy for entertainment.
“Stars are created on the racetrack by showing greatness. But it’s so watered down now, it’s not.”
That’s why, instead of watching drivers strategically work through the field like Dale Earnhardt Sr. or Jeff Gordon, modern NASCAR fans are watching crashes dictate race winners.
“Why do you think NASCAR’s social posts 20 times Dale Earnhardt’s victories back in the day? Because you saw them be surgical. You saw greatness. That doesn’t exist anymore.”
NASCAR’s Playoff System: Broken and Backward?
Hamlin didn’t stop at superspeedway racing—he took aim at NASCAR’s playoff system too.
Instead of rewarding season-long excellence, the win-and-in format has made strategic manipulation more valuable than outright performance. Hamlin pointed to Kyle Larson in 2024, who won six races but didn’t even make the Championship 4, while Joey Logano gamed the system perfectly to win the title.
“Are we now going to start viewing the Daytona 500 winners like we question our champions?”
In Hamlin’s eyes, NASCAR isn’t about being the best anymore—it’s about being in the right place at the right time.
What’s Next? Will NASCAR Make Changes?
So far, NASCAR hasn’t acknowledged Hamlin’s criticisms. But with more and more drivers voicing frustration, the pressure to fix superspeedway racing and the playoff system is mounting.
But will NASCAR listen?
Or will they double down on chaos, controversy, and clickbait racing?
One thing’s for sure: Denny Hamlin isn’t staying silent.
