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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Slams Denny Hamlin’s Harsh Comments on ARCA Drivers at Daytona

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
February 19, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0
Denny Hamlin Blasts Daytona 500 Chaos: “Our Champion is Just Lucky—That’s Not Legitimate”

Denny Hamlin answers questions from reporters during Media Day at Daytona International Speedway, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.

Denny Hamlin sparked controversy with his harsh criticism of the ARCA Series after their race at Daytona, questioning whether the development series should even be allowed to race on such a prestigious track. His comments, which he made mid-race and further escalated after the event, were met with strong opposition from Dale Earnhardt Jr., who defended the ARCA drivers and their place in the sport.

Hamlin’s Frustration with ARCA at Daytona

It all started during the Daytona race, where the ARCA series had a chaotic run, starting with 40 cars and finishing with barely 20 on the track due to numerous wrecks. Denny Hamlin, who was watching from the sidelines, took to X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Wonder if the casuals at home watching Fox right now are thinking that this is NASCAR. Yikes.” His frustration only grew post-race when he commented, “Don’t get me started on the ARCA race. Can we get those guys off that track? I’m sorry, but inexperienced drivers should not be running 190 miles an hour at Daytona. It’s just not — it’s unsafe for all.”

Hamlin’s Call for ARCA to Move to Short Tracks

Hamlin argued that the ARCA series, being a developmental division, wasn’t suited for a superspeedway like Daytona. He proposed that these inexperienced drivers should instead race on short tracks, where the risks are less severe. While many understood Hamlin’s concern over safety, Dale Earnhardt Jr. disagreed with the level of criticism and felt that the comments were too harsh.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Fires Back: “Unnecessary” Criticism

In a passionate response on the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. reflected on similar frustrations he had years ago. “I was mad about it 10-15 years ago, you know, the things that I hear Denny saying today. Those were my post-race comments after Talladega, after Daytona, back in 2012, 13, 14, 15… I disagree with Denny because I just believe that let’s not go to that length. That’s probably unnecessary,” Earnhardt Jr. explained.

Junior also pointed out that the racing dynamics on superspeedways are challenging for all drivers, regardless of experience. “All of the series, no matter what series—ARCA, Trucks, Xfinity, or Cup—they all suffer from this. We’ve choked everything down and put so much drag on the bodies that they can’t get away from each other. A good car can’t drive away from a bad car. An experienced driver can’t distance himself from a driver who doesn’t have the experience,” Earnhardt Jr. said.

The Root of the Problem: Lack of Passing and the Draft

Earnhardt Jr. delved deeper into the mechanics of superspeedway racing, explaining how the lack of ability to break away from the pack leads to constant trouble. “The ability to break the draft would solve a lot of these issues,” he said. By breaking away from the field, faster cars could create a gap between themselves and slower, inexperienced drivers, reducing the likelihood of crashes. “Going bumper to bumper, that’s a minefield,” Junior noted. The domino effect crashes in ARCA, Trucks, Xfinity, and Cup are often caused by the inability of the faster drivers to get out of the mess.

Why the ARCA Drivers Shouldn’t Be Scapegoats

One notable example from the ARCA race was Lawless Alan, a young driver with part-time experience in the Truck Series. While leading the pack, Alan was relatively safe, but once he fell back after pit stops, he got caught in the chaos of less experienced drivers and eventually got wrecked. For Dale Earnhardt Jr., this isn’t a failure of the ARCA drivers but a consequence of the racing environment created by the current cars and drafting system.

Hamlin’s Solution: Simplifying the Issue

As for Hamlin’s solution to the issue, Junior doesn’t fully agree. While Hamlin is pushing for ARCA drivers to stay off superspeedways like Daytona, Earnhardt Jr. believes the real solution lies in the way racing is structured and the way the cars interact on these tracks. It’s not about removing inexperienced drivers from the big tracks, but rather about rethinking how superspeedway racing is approached across all series.

The Bottom Line: A Rethink on Superspeedway Racing

Both Hamlin and Earnhardt Jr. are driven by a desire for safety, but their approaches differ. While Hamlin calls for changes to who races at Daytona, Earnhardt Jr. advocates for a broader rethink of how the sport handles superspeedway racing across all levels. What’s clear is that no matter who’s behind the wheel, Daytona and tracks like it will continue to pose challenges that even the most experienced drivers can struggle with.

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