Let’s hear Denny Hamlin—the guy who’s danced with Daytona and Talladega’s chaos more times than he’d like, only to get burned. Picture 2021’s Daytona 500: Hamlin’s king of the track, leading 98 laps, feeling that fourth crown—until a late pit scramble traps him in traffic. A last-lap wreck explodes behind Michael McDowell, and poof, fifth place.

Or 2022: Lap 63, Brad Keselowski’s shove spins Harrison Burton and the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 is toast in the “Big One.” Talladega ’22? Six laps left, he’s upfront—then Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney trigger a pileup that snags him. August ’23 at Daytona? Leading late, a caution bunches the pack, and a restart crash sends him spinning. Chaos, not skill, keeps robbing him blind. He has made his feelings clear on the quality of superspeedway racing, but NASCAR has refused to respond. Why so?

Denny Hamlin makes extended pleas to NASCAR ahead of Atlanta

There’s the juicy twist—Hamlin’s lawsuit beef with NASCAR. In 2024, his team 23XI Racing, co-owned by Michael Jordan, along with Front Row Motorsports, filed an antitrust lawsuit. They accused NASCAR of monopolistic practices, and Hamlin has not been silent about his distaste towards the decisions of the governing body. From jabs on his podcast to digs in interviews, Hamlin was open with his criticisms, but NASCAR never responded.

Lawsuit saltiness aside, Denny Hamlin’s not quitting. Atlanta is his glimmer of hope—this weekend’s Ambetter Health 400 blends superspeedway vibes with a touch of control. “This is what I’d like Daytona and Talladega to turn into,” he says, eyes sharp. Less demolition derby, more driver’s game—his vision’s crystal clear. However, when asked by FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, “Were you expecting any discussions about what can be done on superspeedways?”, Hamlin was honest about NASCAR’s lack of a response, nodding his head side-to-side.

Hamlin’s fed up, and he’s not shy about it. “If you ask the competitors they probably like one sort of thing… NASCAR probably likes another thing and TV maybe wants another thing, ultimately I think… You’d like to get rewarded when you make the right moves,” he said. His comments reflect the diverse viewpoints floating around, along with NASCAR’s differing priorities. And to his point, Hamlin did make all the right moves at the Daytona 500.

Running up front in the white flag lap of overtime, Hamlin was battling Austin Cindric as they entered Turn three. However, a squeeze into the inside from Cole Custer wrecked the three of them and allowed the 6th-place driver, William Byron, to swerve past the wreckage on the outside lane to take the win. Luck or skill? Well, to NASCAR it’s all the same as long as people are watching.

“It’s frustrating that it kind of is out of your hands most times on superspeedways.” He’s been hollering for years: fix the cars, tame the madness. But as Atlanta looms this weekend, it’s clear—NASCAR’s still plugging its ears to the ‘voice of reason,’ and Hamlin’s salty. Why? That Next-Gen setup’s drag is a beast. “We’re still running the same speed in the pack as we were pre-Next Gen,” he added. “The only difference is we’re running thirteen miles an hour slower in qualifying. The fastest way to make these cars go is to run into each other… that’s what ultimately causes wrecks.”

He’s got a point. Daytona and Talladega are crash-fest central—the “Big One” isn’t a surprise, it’s a tradition. Hamlin’s fix? Slash the drag, juice up solo speed. “If you took drag out, made the cars faster by themselves, really don’t know that we would run much faster in the pack if we would at all,” he argues. Less bumper-car insanity, more driver smarts—sounds like a win, right? Dale Earnhardt Jr. must be nodding along, but NASCAR? Crickets. Some whisper it’s the thrill factor—those viral pileups keep eyeballs glued. Others bet TV execs crave the carnage over chess matches.

Flashback to those heartbreakers—2021’s near-miss, 2022’s early exit, 2023’s late spin. Denny Hamlin’s been chewed up and spat out by a pack racing roulette too often. “We’d like to put it more in our hands,” he pleads, a racer’s cry for a fair shot. But history’s a stubborn teacher—NASCAR’s stuck to its guns, chaos over calm. As the No. 11 rolls into Atlanta, Hamlin’s still the loudmouth with a cause, lawsuit or not. Will they finally hear him and tweak the madness?

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NASCAR’s deaf ear to Hamlin

Steve Phelps, NASCAR’s big boss, isn’t sweating Hamlin’s rant—he’s too busy basking in the glow. “That was a great week for us,” he told Sports Business Journal, practically glowing. “Qualifying numbers up double digits, duels up double digits,” Sunday’s rain delay? A three-hour saga—yet viewership spiked 13% to 6.76 million on FOX, per Sports Business Journal. Pre-red flag, it was tracking toward 8.5 million—the most-watched NASCAR bash since 2023’s 500. “There was an energy level there all weekend that I don’t think we’ve experienced in a while,” Phelps beamed, shrugging off the downpour. “It’s always a sellout, but it just seemed to be a different level”

Hamlin’s howling about pack racing’s roulette—too much grip, too much drag, turning Daytona into a bumper-car bonanza. “It’s luck,” he snapped on his Actions Detrimental podcast. “I hate that our most prestigious race is luck.” But NASCAR’s stance? They’re loving it—chaos equals eyeballs. Phelps isn’t budging; those double-digit jumps and electric vibes are gold. Atlanta’s up next, and while Hamlin’s begging for skill to reign, NASCAR’s banking on the wild, wreck-strewn thrill ride fans can’t peel away from. “Numbers were up,” Phelps grins as if that settles it.

Drivers want control—NASCAR wants carnage. Daytona was a hit, rain or not, and Phelps is riding the wave. Hamlin’s “voice of reason”? Lost in the roar—NASCAR is too busy counting viewers to care.