Denny Hamlin heaped praise on NASCAR’s decision to do away with the ‘win-and-you’re-in’ playoff format. The JGR ace shared that the format was ‘unfair’ to consistent drivers who were knocked out by surprise winners.
This year, NASCAR reverted to the Chase format after widespread concerns over the legitimacy of the sport. Drivers will now have to rank inside the top-16 to qualify for the 10-race post-season, where the points leaders ultimately fight for the title.
The move was a departure from the overly convoluted playoff format that rewarded one-off wins over season-long consistency. On the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, current points leader Hamlin praised the decision, saying,
“Getting rid of the win and you’re in. Oh, maybe the biggest, best change ever, because now we know someone can’t just get lucky and pop one off from 24th in point. You got 26 races to prove yourself right and so one good or bad week should not be the indicator of whether you’re in or out like it’s no, you got a big old sample size.”
“Somebody from 30th is not gonna just get in and take your spot that you’ve been running 16th, you know for 25 weeks,” Hamlin continued, “And then on the 26 weeks, somebody 30th and points just knocks you out. That doesn’t seem fair to me. Without a doubt, we all care about our standings now more than ever. All these guys know that it’s over that ten-week period. You’ve got to start with as many points as you possibly can. I think the format they did just a great job with it.”
Hamlin has steadily climbed to the top of the standings. He began with a few middling results, but once he broke through with his Las Vegas win, the Virginia native hasn’t looked back.
The No. 11 driver recently completed a hat-trick win streak at Nashville, Michigan, and Pocono, allowing him to beat five-win driver Tyler Reddick. Notably, a single point separates the two drivers.
Denny Hamlin shares blunt verdict on his Carson Hocevar incident at Sonoma
Denny Hamlin was having a top-five run at Sonoma when Carson Hocevar made contact with his rear and sent him spinning. The incident occurred during a restart stack-up that ultimately sent him to the rear of the field.
He finished 26th after starting ninth, while Hocevar placed 11th. In a post-race interview, Hamlin shared his thoughts on the outcome.
“It’s frustrating for sure,” he said.
When Denny Hamlin was turned around, another car had apparently clipped his nose. The 44-year-old revealed that the contact broke his splitter and destroyed his downforce.
Hocevar, on his part, explained that he was an innocent bystander who got pushed from behind, but apologized nonetheless.
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