Denny Hamlin Reveals His Truth on William Byron’s Historic Win, Exposes NASCAR’s Big Blow to Cup Series ‘Stars’

It was a bittersweet ending for Denny Hamlin. On one hand, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver failed to break his winless Cup Series streaks, despite being poised to win ‘The Great American Race’ for the fourth time in his career. However, despite the heartbreaking incident with Cole Custer, the 44-year-old was glad the reigning Daytona 500 winner William Byron secured a ‘lucky’ win, after taking advantage of the misfortune of others.

After the controversy at the ‘World Center of Racing’, an outspoken Hamlin laid bare his thoughts on Byron’s Daytona triumph while exposing NASCAR’s strategy, which may become a blow to the Cup Series’ biggest names.

Denny Hamlin wants NASCAR to promote its stars

It’s been a positive start for Denny Hamlin. Despite failing to secure a win, the No. 11 Toyota driver has made a bright start to 2025. This comes after he finished third at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray by leading 28 laps. He almost won the Cup Series opener. But the last lap chaos resulted in the Harley J. Earl Trophy slipping through his fingers. William Byron, who was in the right place at the right time, capitalized on the Florida native’s misfortune to secure another crown-jewel triumph.

Despite claiming Byron was “lucky,” Denny Hamlin was glad the Hendrick Motorsports driver won the Daytona 500. Sharing his thoughts on the Actions Detrimental podcast, the veteran racer said, “I think we were really fortunate for William Byron to win that race, truthfully… How do we feel if John Hunter Nemechek was in William Byron’s spot? I think we got lucky on that front as far as promotion of the sport… William Byron legitimizes it because he won last year and it’s like well, it’s clearly not a game of chance, he’s won two in a row.”

Byron was in seventh place at the time of the wreck. Plus, his triumph at the crown jewel event was less about his racing prowess and more about avoiding misfortune. While others wrecked in the last lap chaos, the Hendrick Motorsports driver simply made the best of a critical situation to his advantage. However, history gets written by the victors. Hamlin mentioned how “nobody will remember” the circumstances leading up to his triumph in the future.

While Denny Hamlin said NASCAR should focus on letting “the stars show their skills”, the sanctioning body has a different strategy in mind. The organization focuses on making the sport more entertaining, with a focus on wrecks, controversy, and aggressive maneuvers to dominate the headlines.

The approach has paid off, as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the Daytona 500 in 2023 and the YellaWood 500 last year while Michael McDowell triumphed in the season-opener in 2021. Meanwhile, the likes of Kyle Busch are winless, despite finishing runner-up on multiple occasions.

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Hamlin downplays Byron’s Daytona triumph

Lucky. That’s how William Byron will feel after his triumph at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 24 Chevy driver made a dramatic push to the finish line after a collision involving Denny Hamlin, Cole Custer, and Chase Briscoe gave him an opening. Despite the race-changing crash, the caution flag was not raised. It gave the 27-year-old racer a clear shot to begin his season with the best possible outcome. Unsurprisingly, the Hendrick Motorsports star took the opportunity with both hands, sealing a playoff spot with his win.

However, Denny Hamlin felt the circumstances leading up to his victory made the achievement nothing to brag about. The outspoken veteran said, “That’s not what you want to hear. You want to hear, ‘My team brought an amazing car, we had great strategy, and at the end, I made the move to win the race’ It’s just not fair to William, it’s not fair to the 24 team.”

Despite the narrative, the reality is that the HMS star is currently second in the driver standings, while Hamlin is languishing in 20th place, despite leading six laps at the Daytona 500. He already looks to eye the AmBetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 1.54-mile track has a reputation for being one of the fastest on the NASCAR calendar. Moreover, the veteran racer will hope to take advantage of its high-banked turns to end his winless streak.

It’s a venue the Florida native has struggled in last year, finishing higher than 20th in both Cup Series appearances. However, a new year marks a new beginning, and the 44-year-old will look to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.