Denny Hamlin Alleges FOX’s Commercial Commitments Ruined the Finish at Texas

Another week of fans and FOX at each other’s throats again! As NASCAR moved to the Lone Star state for the second time, so did the critics. Especially the ones who targeted the sanctioning body’s broadcast partners responsible for ensuring the world’s premier stock car racing viewership experience, in the first half of the 2024 season.

From Denny Hamlin spinning out from podium contention to Chase Elliott breaking his 42-race winless streak, the racing excitement certainly did not disappoint on Sunday. But the broadcast was seemingly below average, and even Denny himself had some interesting statements to make as he revealed how there were things that could be done differently when it comes to the race and the broadcast.

Denny Hamlin admits NASCAR “burned too many laps under caution”

But first, to gain some context, delving into a Twitter post by NASCAR analyst and popular YouTuber Eric Estepp will reveal the collective experience fans have faced in the last two months. The post in question read, “Thank you FOX for showing us the potential pass for the win 5 laps after it happened.” However, one spectator took it a step further and even laid out a few examples in a scorching reply that stated, “Fox is allergic to showing any action. Four car wreck: Commercial. Larson’s tyre falls off: Commercial. Josh Berry wrecks: Commercial. Bubba gaining on Chastain for the stage win and FOX shows Larson for 20 seconds. Fox shows anything but action.”

As is the nature of the crowd, distasteful whispers have also suggested NASCAR and FOX tailoring content to boost ratings for ‘commercial advantages’. Jared Allen, co-host of Denny Hamlin’s podcast, Actions Detrimental touched upon this very sentiment, to which Denny Hamlin had a scathing reply. 

The driver first addressed the green-white checkered situation and shared how the field had to run “too many laps” under caution, probably due to advertising commitments. He even went on to say had the situation been any different, perhaps he could’ve secured a win last Sunday. “We burned too many laps under caution. I mean, there were no safety vehicles on the track. They didn’t open pit road. I don’t know what they were doing other than just winding laps… Maybe they were under commercial. But, damn it…And this is just sour grapes speaking here but the sense of urgency changes and it all comes down now, to this restart, versus even if I don’t get him (Elliott) here, I’ve got another chance to get him. But, I just knew on a green-white checkered, I had no choice.” 

Further questioning the need to go into a commercial break during such a high-stakes situation, the driver further said, “I don’t know why they would have been under commercial because they had fifteen other cautions they could have got all their commercial breaks in.”

However, this is not the first time that the NASCAR broadcast has come under fire. Earlier, fans had also rallied against the organization for missing out on exciting moments during races. But there was one man, our very own Kevin Harvick, who didn’t think broadcasters did anything wrong. The veteran opined how there’s only so much that can be shown with so much happening throughout the grid during a race.

Happy Harvick has no complaints

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Switching his racing helmet for a microphone, Kevin “Happy” Harvick, in a recent episode, addressed some of the displeased fan reactions that he noticed swirling online.

He stated, “I saw somebody mad at us on Twitter because we didn’t show whatever happened at the end (of Martinsville) with Justin Haley and Austin Cindric racing for 25th. And it’s like, ‘Well, we got a pretty prominent car leading the race, won the race, interviews, everything. It happens… Wish we could show everything, but we can’t‘.”

Kevin Harvick does make a good point! However, many opine, as a steadily growing sporting spectacle, NASCAR should address the quality that comes with popularity. With big-hitters like F1 and MotoGP making their own resounding marks on the American market in recent years, it seems like high time for NASCAR to buckle their shoes. Do you think NASCAR and FOX will bring forth a change in its broadcasting style? Let us know what you think and what you expect to see if changes are actually made.