It’s no secret that the 2024 Cup Series season is shaping up to be one of the most hyped ones in recent memory. But when we talk about the off-season, that story fell short of what many insiders expected. With most of the silly season ending before the winter break even began, not much momentum was gained in terms of storylines for 2024.

And when insiders Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck joined Denny Hamlin on the latest episode of Action’s detrimental podcast, the 23XI Racing owner had quite a reasonable explanation for the seemingly under-hyped off-season, which had let the new TV deal and charter changes fly under the radar.

The lukewarm reception of NASCAR’s new TV deal

Ever since NASCAR announced the new $7.7 billion media rights deal, it not only paints a vibrant picture of the future but is also expected to bring a big payout to the charter teams owing to the increased revenue. However, the attention and hype from the NASCAR community and teams seem to have stayed rather silent over the winter break.

And when Denny Hamlin was asked why he hadn’t tweeted about the TV deal himself, the 23XI owner summed up the biggest problem. Hamlin stated, “I think a lot of this is because our season is so long; everyone just wants to take a breath. You know, it’s so long and grueling that even the race teams are just, I mean, they are checked out for a month and a half. So it’s just hard because we don’t have summer break like F1 has. We go for what is it, 39–40 weeks?”

While Formula 1 only has 23 races spread across the calendar, drivers are still resisting the addition of more tracks, citing the lack of personal time away from the action as the main reason. So when we take a look at NASCAR’s jam-packed calendar with only the winter break, it becomes evident just how much pressure the crew and the drivers are under throughout a full season owing to constant travel.

So naturally, Hamlin felt that the additional stress on the driver and crew meant they truly had no time left for media attention at the end of the season. He stated, “And it’s hard and when it’s finally over everyone’s just like, you finally hit the couch after a long day and you’re just like, don’t talk to me, I don’t want to be on social media. I just want to take a break from it all, and that’s probably why it’s tough to get some different stories.”

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So with Denny Hamlin believing that the short off-season period has resulted in an off-season lull, it’s clear that the true effect of the new TV deal will reveal itself only in the future. And speaking of the unknown, Hamlin’s championship dream is still within arm’s reach. But for Hamlin, that’s not all that matters.

Will 2024 finally be Denny Hamlin’s year?

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During the 2010 Cup Series season, there was no man better poised to win the championship than Denny Hamlin. But as he entered the penultimate round at Phoenix Raceway, Hamlin had no idea how quickly his title hopes would go up in flames due to a miscalculation of the fuel by the pit crew. This meant Jimmie Johnson would enter the final round with a mere 15-point deficit to Hamlin, and the rest was history.

But while Hamlin would get close to that elusive title on multiple occasions in the following decade, that championship is yet to arrive as we head into the 2024 season. So when Netflix’s NASCAR: Full Speed docuseries was released, the emphasis on Hamlin’s title challenge was fairly evident. After all, it was the show’s co-producer and NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr who first reflected on Hamlin’s close calls with Cup Series glory.

Junior shared in the docuseries, “He had so many great years where we were thinking, ‘Man, this is the year. It’s an unfortunate thing, right, to be good enough and not get it. I think Denny, understanding his age understanding where he is in his life, realizes it’s now or never.” And as Denny Hamlin heads into the new season as a veteran instead of the relative rookie he was during his earlier title contentions, the pressure is on Hamlin from the community to finally get the elusive championship.

But as far as Denny Hamlin is concerned, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has done enough to prove his worth. Hamlin shared in the docuseries, “Do I want to win a championship? A thousand percent. But it’s not going to define my career. My career is defined by how many trophies I have right here in this house. Right now, there’s 50 of them.”

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Still, the championship is the one accolade that has escaped the clutches of Denny Hamlin. And even if the 23XI co-owner has done enough to prove his worth, the 2024 season could very well be the year Hamlin finally settles the score.