Denny Hamlin Exposes NASCAR’s Puppet Masters, Details Drivers’ Painful Reality

In today’s world, athletes have to be very careful about what they say in public. There are a lot of stakeholders that an athlete has to think about before saying anything. The team they play for, the competition they play in, their sponsors, there is a lot to keep in mind and it’s rare for an athlete to speak their mind in public. The same is the case with drivers competing in NASCAR. One of the very few people who have a platform to speak their mind without too many restrictions is Denny Hamlin. Hamlin is a full-time Cup Series driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, the co-owner of the 23XI Racing team and the host of the popular Actions Detrimental podcast of Dirty Mo Media.

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Hamlin revealed what it was like doing all those three things at the same time and how he has been blessed with a team and sponsors that let them do what he loves. He also spoke about his motivation to start a podcast that has been running successfully for quite a while now and the challenges NASCAR drivers face when they want to speak their mind in public.

Many Drivers Are Bound by Their Teams on What They Say, Hamlin Opines

Hamlin was asked, “This next one is a topical/societal debate-type thing. Right now there are estimated to be three to five million podcasts in the world and you added yours to the crowded landscape this year. That said, should more drivers have podcasts than they do now? There’s not very many who do. Has it been a positive or negative for you overall?”

The Joe Gibbs Racing star said that the experience has been a positive one. While being a team owner, a driver, and a podcast host kept him quite busy, those were the things that he loved doing.

“Well, it’s been a positive for me. I make pretty good money at it, and it’s what I was doing in the middle of the media center every weekend anyway. It’s allowed me to expand upon ideas or comments I had. Instead of taking a sentence here and a sentence there from a media session, I’m able to explain a little bit more about a given topic,” the 42-year-old said.

“It’s what I love to do. Honestly, as busy as I am owning a team, driving for a team and having a podcast, those are the three things I love. I love running a business, I love driving, and I love talking about our sport. The goal behind this was to give people insight — give the avid fan an insider’s perspective of what’s going on that maybe you don’t hear about, a perspective from a driver who just got out of the race car three hours ago,” he added.

Speaking about whether more drivers should do podcasts, Hamlin said that while that is something that would be good for the sport, he does not it will happen. As per the JGR star, what drivers say or do in public is, to a large extent, controlled by the teams and the sponsors. He also said that he was lucky to be part of a team and have sponsors who don’t mind him having a separate show of his own.

“And I think if more drivers did it, it would help expand more content for our sport. I don’t think you’ll see a lot of it. Many drivers are very bound by their teams on what they say, what they do. I’ve been very blessed to be with sponsors and teams who let me be me, and they’re OK with that. So it’ll be tough. It’s gonna be tough to get them to do it. But I’d love to see more drivers have a weekly platform,” he said.

A driver having a podcast is indeed a good thing for NASCAR, but it comes with its own risks. Denny Hamlin found that out firsthand when his prediction about Chase Elliott at Indianapolis fell flat on its face and he had to do some damage control.

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In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin and co-host Jared Allen discussed the race at Indianapolis which saw Elliott deliver a stellar drive and finish in second place.

Hamlin had written Chase off as the Hendrick Motorsports driver has had a bad season in 2023 and was far behind the cut-off line to make it into the playoffs on points. Elliott still is 62 points behind the cut-off line, but he certainly proved Hamlin wrong at Indy.

“I am a numbers person. I love percentages knowing my odds at all times, and so I like to put myself into the most favorable odds situation, which is why I said, What? Chase Elliott can’t make up points. You guys got to be kidding me,” he said.

Co-host Jared Allen continued to sing Elliott’s praises, bringing up his incredible stats on road courses and leaving Hamlin red-faced.

“I knew Chase Elliott is the best road course racer there is in our sport. He has got like 7 wins in the last 5 years. So statistically, he is the best, and I know that. He could win any given weekend; he could have won this weekend, and he could win next,” Allen said.

Hamlin’s interview with The Athletic has provided fans with some insight into the life of the 42-year-old, who really has a busy life juggling his three jobs day in, day out. His take on drivers having podcasts is interesting as he raises an important point. Maybe as time goes by, there will be others inspired by Hamlin to have podcasts of their own where they can talk about what’s on their mind.

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