Denny Hamlin did not hold back on issues he has with NASCAR after having a tough outing at Watkins Glen. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin called out NASCAR for the recent decisions it has made.
“We’ve just steadily progressed our way back and back and back and back and taken horsepower away more and more and more,” Denny Hamlin said. These are decisions that get made from beyond our offices. These are 10th-floor decisions, and let’s just say us drivers are on the third floor.
“I hate to say no business is immune to bad decisions. I think the NASCAR business has made some horrible decisions over the last given amount of time. Eventually, it catches up. You can’t just say, ‘This is the direction I want to go. Well, why? Well, it’s just the direction I want to go,’ and not eventually have to pay for that. You’re going to have to pay for your bad decision at some point, and this could be said for lots of things that has happened in those offices.
Denny Hamlin says NASCAR has a ‘fundamental problem’
Hamlin was specifically referring to the Next Gen car and how NASCAR fans and experts have been complaining about it. The car was introduced in 2022 after NASCAR had the Generation 6 from 2013 to 2021. Fans and experts have been critical of the car on short tracks and road courses. However, the car has been praised for its performance on intermediate tracks.
“I think that we have a fundamental car problem. It is no doubt a problem. Everyone that has ever driven it has said it’s a problem,” Hamlin said. “I believe that the Next Gen car is reaching hate levels of the COT (Car of Tomorrow) with the wing. From fans — I think they’re starting to dislike this car as much as the drivers that have to drive it.”
Denny Hamlin earned a P25 finish at Watkins Glen. In NASCAR’s previous two road course races, the three-time Daytona 500 winner finished 20th at Sonoma and fourth at the Chicago Street Race.
On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this story.
