After Acrimonious Lawsuit, Denny Hamlin Thinks NASCAR Has Made Some Good Changes Moving Forward

Denny Hamlin was among the first drivers to call out the elimination format’s shortcomings. Not only did he articulate what fans wanted, but he also delivered his opinions from a driver’s perspective, stating that the elimination format rewards luck rather than consistency. He can now look back with pride, sit back, and admit that changes have been made for the better.

It’s been a rocky few months for Hamlin, who was involved in a heated lawsuit with NASCAR as 23XI Racing‘s owner regarding the charters. He came out on top of that, too, after the organization decided to settle.

Ahead of the Clash race at Bowman Gray, when Hamlin was asked if he was satisfied with the changes made, he began by responding, “I am.”

Hamlin noted that, “The bulk of the offseason was from what I could see, was NASCAR undoing some of the direction they had gone the last decade or so, which are all good things. I feel like the Chase is a very good compromise for all the stakeholders. And I certainly feel like, if anything, it’s a benefit for your top competitors, who are the challengers week in and week out.”

The new format will reward drivers during the regular season and the playoffs by giving them a head start. Certainly, it offers more of a head start than what the Chase provided years ago. While it resembles the old Chase, drivers will actually have greater motivation to perform well in the regular season because of the gap it will give them to start those 10 races, more than ever before.

Hamlin can see a good balance of everything in the format. There will be no doubt about the validity when the top drivers come down to the end and determine who finishes first.

Hamlin addressed, “While it can come down to one last restart at the end of Homestead, it’s still going to be a body of work you put in over the first nine and-a-half races up to that point.

“I don’t think any one restart will define it, even though it might determine who the champion might be; it’s still going to be the two or three most deserving guys when it comes down to that final race.”

But for now, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is pleased with where it ended up and stands in full support of it.

Hamlin’s view on Charlotte ROVAL getting replaced by the oval race on the same track

Hamlin has not been a road course specialist. If anything, he has always advocated for NASCAR to lean more heavily toward oval racetracks. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver himself carries an average finish of 16.9 on road and street courses. Offering his opinion on having the ROVAL replaced by its 1.5-mile oval, particularly during the playoff season, Hamlin stated,

“I don’t think it’s a secret that it’s all positive from me on these types of changes. Bigger sample size, fewer road courses, given my history, so those are all positive for me.”

Beyond himself, discussing the sport and racing in the Next Gen car, he addressed how mile-and-a-half tracks have been NASCAR’s strength.

He labeled the Charlotte oval an exceptional track. If the schedule features any track hosting multiple races at the same venue, Charlotte would rank among the top choices. That’s why the JGR driver is glad to see it return. Drivers, for the most part, certainly support the change back to the oval.

Although he appreciates the changes the sport has undergone over recent years, with road courses and different venues like Charlotte or the Chicago Street Race, which have benefited the sport, calling NASCAR a sport built on oval racing, Hamlin believes moving back to ovals is NASCAR returning to its roots.

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