In the two weeks preceding the Cup Series race in Nashville, there was a lot of hype surrounding the change in broadcasters. Ever since the season opener in Daytona, Fox Sports’ broadcast of the weekend fixtures had been criticized. Though the main point was an excessive number of commercials, often at crucial junctures, fans had other complaints as well, such as occasional gaffes by the lead commentators. With the broadcasting rights for the rest of the season going to NBC, viewers were wishing for fewer commercials and more engaging commentary. And as far as Denny Hamlin is concerned, his experience of the Xfinity broadcast was fulfilling.

The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is in the headlines once again, not because of an on-track incident but for his bold claims. Moreover, his statements add nuance to the differences between Cup and Xfinity cars, as he explains why Xfinity races are much better than the Cup Series ones. 

Denny Hamlin seeks out NBC’s crew and banters with Steve Letarte

In the latest episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin and his co-host Jared Allen were joined by HMS prodigy, William Byron. The on-track rivals hit it right off as they talked about NBC’s broadcast. Apparently, Hamlin feels that the NBC commentators went overboard with excitement as they hyped up the Xfinity race. He even had a jovial banter with former HMS crew chief, Steve Letarte, who is a part of NBC’s broadcasting crew.

He said, “You know, I loved NBC. I was giving Steve Letarte the s**t about, ‘Man! you guys are really doing the sales job on, you know—hey! look how wild and crazy the Xfinity race is.’“

The #11 Toyota Camry driver confessed that after practice he was supposed to take a rest in his Nashville hotel. Instead, he stayed up watching the Xfinity race. “Well, I’ll just watch the 1st 50 laps and then you know two hours later, it’s like you actually got 50 to go and it’s like, ‘Wow man!!’ he exclaimed. However, he did add, “It was painful to watch on some of the restarts for sure.”

Hamlin made it clear how hooked up he was with the race, and it looks like NBC’s broadcast had a lot to do with it.

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Hamlin then went on to make a few statements that might sound quite surprising to several ears.

Xfinity or Cup? Hamlin and Byron make the controversial choice

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According to Denny Hamlin, Xfinity has a big mix of talent and it makes the races compelling. There are experienced campaigners like Justin Allgaier as well as young guns like Cole Custer and Sammy Smith. Pointing out the element of uncertainty in Xfinity and Truck Series races, he said, “I look forward to watching them. It’s just those races you almost don’t know what’s going to happen. In the Cup race, like I feel like it’s a little more predictable for sure.”

Agreeing with Hamlin that Xfinity races are more exciting, Byron said, “It [Cup] is [more predictable]. I think Xfinity, they just, you can hit it, right? Like one guy can hit it right and figure something out. All of a sudden he’s catching the leader. So it’s just you don’t have that as much in the Cup.”

However, during the conversation, Hamlin also mentioned why things get more complicated in the Cup races. He said, “We [the Cup drivers] are going to be racing at night. We have shifting; we have less fall-off. There’s a lot of factors that is a lot different. So yeah, it’s tough because all the Cup guys are so good they’re not going in there and cleaning out.”

The 3x Daytona 500 winner finally expressed his satisfaction with the Nashville race. As for the track, it was challenging for the veteran 20 years ago when he raced in Xfinity and it is challenging now.

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