“Absolute garbage,” as Denny Hamlin called it on social media, his words dripping with disappointment. This wasn’t the NASCAR he had signed up for. Saturday’s Xfinity Series race was the breaking point. Cars smashed into each other like bumper cars at a county fair, tempers flared, and the finish line became a demolition derby. Taylor Gray, who led 87 laps and the white flag lap, got wrecked by Sammy Smith on the final turn, dropping to 29th. Austin Hill somehow snatched the win amid the wreckage. It wasn’t racing—it was madness. Fans were furious, drivers were stunned, and Hamlin was livid himself.

The NASCAR veteran, fresh off a hard-fought victory in the Cup Series race on March 30, 2025, couldn’t hold back his emotions. His win, ending a decade-long drought at Martinsville, should’ve been the story. Instead, it’s overshadowed by a mess he, a racing team owner himself, can’t ignore. Hamlin’s not just a driver anymore; he’s a man fed up with a sport he loves spiraling out of control. And he’s pointing fingers at NASCAR for letting it happen.

Denny Hamlin is worried about troubling patterns among drivers

Denny Hamlin is no stranger to speaking his mind. As a co-owner of 23XI Racing and a Joe Gibbs Racing driver, he’s seen the sport evolve sometimes even for the worse. Martinsville, a track he now dominates with six Cup wins, has become a battleground for reckless driving. His latest victory, leading 247 of 400 laps, proved his skill. But the Xfinity fiasco stole the spotlight. NASCAR’s refusal to step in has him questioning everything.

Here’s what he told reporters after his win: “Yeah, certainly, I think that the sanctioned body needs to get involved a little bit and step in on egregious things. I think it’s continued to ramp up, right? We’ve seen this stuff, and it used to only happen on green-white checkers. And then, this place, it seemed like inside 20 to go, people would lose their minds. Those guys yesterday did it with 50 to go, just absolutely, just creaming each other… Horrible driving by most of the people out there. And you know, it’s just not a good look. Certainly, you shouldn’t just be able to wipe someone out egregiously like what happened at the end of the race yesterday. We have a black flag for a reason, and I think we should start using it.”

The Marine Corps 250 in the Xfinity Series saw over a 100 caution flag laps run throughout the race! It was a disastrous watch. Austin Hill shipped the #16 Christian Eckes into a Turn, which led to him wrecking multiple drivers ahead of him and he ended up winning the race due to Sammy Smith wrecking multiple drivers after spinning out Taylor Gray. This sort of driving led to many drivers pouring out their feelings after the race, and Jesse Love had no love lost for Martinsville. ” That’s why I don’t enjoy coming here all the time. I love short-track racing… it’s not fun kind of the culture right now.” 

Hamlin’s not alone in feeling the sting. Gray, the young Joe Gibbs Racing driver, was gutted. “I was a little upset at first, but I felt like it was somewhat okay because we were at Martinsville, coming to the end of the race. I did the same thing back to him, which I felt was fair, and he goes into three coming into the checkers and completely destroys me.”

“Absolutely, it was egregious,” Smith said about his final move on Gray. “I’m not proud of it, but he would have done the exact same thing to me, roles reversed.” He pinned the blame on Gray, who had cleanly passed him earlier in the race, and accused the #54 of disrespecting him, saying, “He just has no respect for me; he was flipping me off under the red flag and swerving at my door.” Whatever Gray did, he didn’t intentionally end Smith’s race, and that should be the main takeaway from this.

However, for Denny Hamlin, it’s bigger than one incident. It’s a pattern. NASCAR’s hands-off approach—letting drivers “self-police”—is failing. “It just takes 1 penalty and it will stop this s—,” he posted on X, echoing a sentiment fans have screamed for years. Dale Earnhardt Jr., the owner of Sammy Smith’s team, JR Motorsports, took to X and wrote, “This racetrack is historic in the grand scheme of all things NASCAR and deserves better.” Martinsville has been on the NASCAR schedule since 1949, making itself one of the oldest and most revered tracks. From Ross Chastain’s wall-ride in 2022 to Ernie Irvan’s heartfelt victory in 1993, the track has seen a rollercoaster of emotions. However, the Xfinity series has always been a question.

NASCAR did not even have Xfinity races at Martinsville from 1995 to 2020, and maybe this was for a good reason. Martinsville is an incredibly tricky short track and requires skill and patience to run. The Xfinity drivers showed none of that on Saturday, choosing to wreck each other instead of racing the right way. In contrast, Sunday’s Cup Series race was a testament to the gulf in class between Xfinity and Cup drivers, as it saw significantly fewer cautions and clean racing.

For now, Denny Hamlin’s win should remain the primary focus, as his triumph was more than just another victory at Martinsville.

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Denny Hamlin’s Martinsville triumph was a statement to the racing world

Denny Hamlin’s heart was pounding as he crossed the finish line at Martinsville Speedway on March 30, 2025. After a decade without a win at this Virginia short track, he finally did it. His 55th career victory tied Rusty Wallace for 11th on NASCAR’s all-time list. But this wasn’t just about the numbers. It was personal. Climbing out of his No. 11 Toyota, he grabbed a flag that said “11 against the world” and waved it high.

“I’m the most competitive person alive,” Hamlin once said back in 2022 on his Actions Detrimental podcast. You could feel that fire at Martinsville. He led 247 laps and won stage 2, battling not just the field but the weight of years without a grandfather clock trophy. His new crew chief, Chris Gayle, got a shout-out post-race: “He’s been a game-changer,” Hamlin said. This win wasn’t just a checkered flag, it was proof he’s still got it, still hungry, still fighting.

The crowd roared as he stood atop his car, flag in hand. Denny Hamlin’s been through the grind, the doubters, the near-misses. “It feels amazing to shut them up,” he told reporters, a grin breaking through the exhaustion. Multiple autions couldn’t stop him. The chaos of the Xfinity race the day before, where drivers wrecked each other senseless, only fueled his focus.

This victory locked Hamlin into the playoffs. It’s a slap to anyone who thought he was done. At 44, he’s not slowing down. He’s racing like the world’s against him and winning anyway. Do you think Hamlin has what it takes to finally win the elusive Cup Series Championship this year? Let us know in the comments!