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Longtime NASCAR Star Admits Sunday's Race 'Wasn't Good'

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 1:45 PM ET

Denny Hamlin had a strong Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, finishing second in a race thoroughly controlled by Kyle Larson. Afterward, the runner-up acknowledged that the Food City 500 probably wasn't the best viewing experience.

A day after winning the Xfinity Series race, Larson left Bristol with another victory after leading for 411 of 500 laps. In a social media poll run by The Athletic's Jeff Gluck, 79.9 percent of respondents said Sunday's race wasn't good. After some reflection, Hamlin agreed.

Following the race, Hamlin told reporters that fans should "give teams their due when they dominate." However, he explained his altered opinion of Bristol's race on his Actions Detrimental podcast.

"Fans are giving me [expletive] because of my interview saying, don't throw mud on it because someone dominated. You got to realize, all I see is what's in my -- I am in a cocoon for those 500 laps," Hamlin said. "All I know is my experience. Now, when I went back and watched the race, I hear you. I get what you're saying. I know it wasn't good, and I feel your pain."

Hamlin said he's trying to get NASCAR to listen to his complaints, but they're apparently not asking him for advice.

"I wish they would call me and say, 'What would you do?' Because there's about six things I think we could do to truly make it better, and it'd have no adverse side effects to it," Hamlin claimed. "But this is part of a bigger business plan for them that we're not privy to, and we just don't know."

BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 17: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Yahoo! Toyota, looks on during practice for the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on August 17, 2024 in Brooklyn, Michigan. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)Logan Riely/Getty Images

Hamlin feels NASCAR needs long-term solutions, but he's worried they'll instead just cut short-track events. While he believes a single car can "absolutely" produce strong races at every track, Hamlin urged the sport to stop deflecting and address the issue.

"We got to get the product better, because I don't think we can sustain what we saw on Sunday," Hamlin said.

Hamlin claimed he asked in his first owner's meeting if the Gen-7 car was ready to handle all tracks before getting introduced in 2022. He believed NASCAR when told yes, but the 23XI Racing co-owner later felt the rollout was "not thought out enough."

"They just didn't do enough testing," Hamlin said. "The car wasn't ready."

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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