Back in the day, they called it restrictor plate-racing. Now, we call them fuel-mileage races. Why? Because, every time NASCAR visits the superspeedways with this Next-Gen car, we go farther away from an era where speeds got so terrifying the sport had to literally ‘restrict’ its excitement.

In 2024, the action focuses on balancing a tricky game of parity. Gone are the days when a top-10 car could easily pass the first one going down a lap on the racing surface. In the Next-Gen era, even a backmarker could make life difficult for the leader if the latter is not careful enough. It’s almost impossible to predict how guys like Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Tony Stewart would react to how racing has changed with the rollout of the Gen-7 machine. But Denny Hamlin’s candid admissions on the same, suggest they wouldn’t fare too well in the 2024 Cup Series field.

Denny Hamlin laments the lost techniques of superspeedway racing

Sure, short-track racing has fallen way beyond its expected standards in 2024. Road races, as always, remain unpredictable. But superspeedways have suffered similarly to NASCAR’s short tracks, in the sense that every drafting race seems destined to play out the same series of events, but with different players each time. Up until the end of Stage 2, these ‘superspectacles feel like a complete battle of attrition where the cars struggle double-time to overtake each other. Then, as the race winds down to its last laps, the ‘big ones’ arrive, causing chaos and carnage, and often sending the race into overtime.

This coming weekend at Talladega, Denny Hamlin expects nothing too different. “I mean, I think you’re going to see everyone battling to try to get stage points and win the race,” speculated Denny Hamlin on the September 30 episode of Actions Detrimental. As for the similarities? Hamlin thinks “It’s one where certainly… you’re not going to have varying strategies…” He explains, “There’s an opportunity maybe if there’s a caution mid-stint to some will come take fuel, want to pack their fuel cell. And then there’s going to be others that stay out and want to keep track position but it’s going to be a track position race in my opinion.”

“And so I just think you’re going to want to race up towards the front. Control the race,” concluded Denny Hamlin. But as his co-host, Jared Allen reviewed the picture for Hamlin. “Your last five results there: 37th. 3rd. 17th. 5th and 18th.” Clearly, Denny Hamlin struggles to control a race at Talladega, especially in these Next-Gen cars. For that fact, he’s won twice at the 2.66-mile racetrack, and both times he drove the earlier Gen-6 vehicles for Joe Gibbs Racing. But why such a slump for someone often considered a superspeedway specialist? With careful retrospection, he lamented, “All those things that I learned from Dale Jr., Tony Stewart back in the day. Gone.”

The #11 driver reiterated himself, “All those techniques I learned, how to pass and create runs and all that stuff, got, (turned into) just stay in line.” It sure is a harrowing thought for those fans who’ve witnessed NASCAR’s signature racing experience on mega-ovals like Daytona and Talladega. Regardless, Denny Hamlin, winner of three Daytona 500s, outlines the optimal way to race on superspeedways in the current era. ” It’s just all about numbers. You got to stay in whatever line’s got the most cars and that line will go forward,” explained Joe Gibbs’ perennial championship contender.

The last time Denny Hamlin stayed in line hoping to make that strategy work at Talladega, he crashed out with just 40 laps to go. Contrarily, his co-owned race team, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, took the #45 car to Victory Lane in that race. It was a bittersweet moment for Denny Hamlin. However, after finishing 8th in a race where he should’ve placed way higher last weekend in Kansas, it would appear the emotions aren’t any easier to manage.

Stuck in neutral in the Next-Gen era

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The driver of the #11 team currently sits 11 points before the cutline in 5th position in the Round of 12 standings. Eleven points can go away in a flash, especially at a track like Talladega which has made a name for itself, farming heartbreaks. Hamlin’s ‘Dega track record does not fill him up with too much optimism either. So, how is the guy coping? In his post-race interview after a day plagued with pit crew problems, Hamlin told the media at Kansas, “I’m not in it mentally, I can tell you that. There’s a lot of wires crossed and bolts loose at the moment. But what can you do? I’ll just do the best I can to drive the car and do my part.”

No disrespect. But Denny Hamlin cannot afford to lose himself ‘mentally’ right now. His drive for the championship this season has felt just a little different, and even Dale Jr acknowledged that in an earlier episode of the Download. To come so close and fall short would be a shame. He’s scored two consecutive top-10s already in the Playoffs, after a tumultuous day at Watkins Glen. And with just two races left to move to the Round of 8, he must pull all stops necessary.

After all, time is running out, not just for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, but also for his career. If he truly wishes to bring that Bill France Cup home to his family, he must lock in as soon as possible—because second chances don’t come too often in NASCAR.