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Denny Hamlin’s Take on NASCAR’s New Tire Options: A Threat to Traditional Winners?

Carl Harrison by Carl Harrison
March 11, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 3 mins read
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Denny Hamlin’s Take on NASCAR’s New Tire Options: A Threat to Traditional Winners?

Mar 2, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) walks out onto the stage for driver introductions before the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Harms-Imagn Images

Phoenix Raceway, affectionately known as ‘The Desert Oddball’, has been subject to severe scrutiny over the years. NASCAR enthusiasts have consistently rallied for enhancements to the circuit’s action-packed drama. Responding to the call, NASCAR introduced a significant shift ahead of the 2025 Shriners Children’s 500, providing each team with three sets of ‘option’ tires. This new element dramatically altered the race’s dynamics on the famed 1-mile track, with the softer, faster-wearing tires proving transformative, enabling racers to swiftly surpass their rivals, thereby creating an added advantage.

However, seasoned Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, Denny Hamlin, expressed a contrary view. In the latest edition of his podcast, he voiced his objections to these option tires, arguing that they inadvertently allowed less deserving drivers to vie for victory. Despite displaying remarkable speed in his No. 11 Toyota, Hamlin fell a mere 0.049 seconds short of teammate Christopher Bell at Phoenix Raceway. Despite the Oklahoman being a deserving winner leading 102 laps, Hamlin voiced concerns that the optional tires could forge a pathway for undeserving winners in the future, attributing this to the phenomenal grip offered by these tires on the race track.

Hamlin, speaking on the Actions Detrimental podcast, stated, “I’m probably going to be too much of a purist for you guys. I just, we have so many novelties as it is, Lucky Dogs… Green-Light Checkers. We’ve done everything we can in the sport, rules-wise, to make it entertaining. I don’t know. I’m just too old school to tell you that I want options for tires. It’s just another way that the best car will not win.”

Undeniably, the optional tires injected an electrifying atmosphere into the Phoenix race. These softer compounds offered drivers increased grip, aiding in gaining track positions. However, their rapid degradation also required teams to be quick-witted and make effective strategy calls to leverage every available advantage. Notably, Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, driving the No. 1 Chevy, exemplified this strategy, catapulting from P34 to P10 in a mere 14 laps by taking full advantage of the optional tires.

Hamlin, however, did not reject the softer compound outright. He expressed his approval of the softer compound, which he had been advocating for a while, but was disgruntled with its optional nature. “I certainly think that we’ve got a winner,” he said. “Me and Dale Jr. believed for the longest time that Goodyear has the keys to NASCAR Cup Series racing, and I think it’s evident that we were right. We got tire falloff, we finally got them to put some soft tires on the car. The results from the racing we’ve seen speak for itself.”

Hamlin’s sentiments were echoed post-race by Trackhouse Racing’s #88 Shane Van Gisbergen, who stated, “It probably should be the main tire, and they should make a softer one.” Jeff Gluck of the Athletic also sang praises for the new tire compound, stating, “No matter what happens for the rest of this race, the biggest winner might be Goodyear. This softer compound is super racy.”

Despite these positive reviews, Hamlin felt that the stark performance difference between the tire compounds was far from ideal, arguing that it gave slower cars an unfair advantage in gaining track positions. He worries about this leveling the playing field, potentially allowing undeserving cars to seize victories from the traditional powerhouses.

Hamlin’s frustrations were exacerbated by his defeat to teammate Christopher Bell, a loss that stung all the more as they were in identical cars, negating any potential performance excuses. Hamlin said, “There is nobody that I hate seeing win more than my teammate because I know he’s driving the same thing that I’m driving. I love Christopher, he’s a great dude. I don’t want him to beat me, you always measure yourself off your teammates. I’m congratulating Heather (JGR co-owner) and Joe [Gibbs], it’s a big win for the team. But as a driver, as a competitor, we do not like seeing our teammates win.”

Despite his disappointment, Hamlin’s performance at Phoenix Raceway showed promise, with the veteran driver securing his best result in 16 Cup Series races. As he seeks to secure a playoff berth at upcoming races in Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville, Hamlin will face determined competition, particularly from Bell. Will Hamlin overcome the challenge or succumb to the pressure? Only time will tell.

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