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Denny Hamlin was among the many NASCAR veterans who voiced their frustrations following the controversial end to the Truck Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, on Friday night (November 3).
The green flag for the race dropped at 10 pm ET and the race extended well over midnight due to the cautions late in the race. Championship contenders Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim wrecked each other while Grant Enfinger and eventual champion Rhodes also suffered damage in separate incidents.
The Truck Series finale ended in a controversial manner as the scheduled 150-lap race was extended to 179 laps, with four overtime restarts required to crown Ben Rhodes as the 2023 Truck Series champion and Christian Eckes as the race winner.
Denny Hamlin blamed the lack of officiating in the Truck Series for the repeated incidents that put NASCAR's marquee event in a bad light. Berating the embarrassing end to the 2023 Truck Series, Hamlin wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"This is what happens when there’s no rules, no officiating. You get a product like this. “The show” has taken over US Motorsports and why it’s hard to take seriously."
The wreck fest began when Carson Hocevar spun title favorite Corey Heim. The latter then retaliated by shoving Hocevar into the outside barriers, taking him out of the race. This began the wreck fest, which extended the race into four overtime restarts.
Many NASCAR figures shared the same thoughts as Denny Hamlin as they called out the lack of sportsmanship in the championship-deciding race. Tyler Reddick called out a particular driver while Chris Buescher called out the "pitiful lack of sportsmanship" among the drivers.
The championship weekend in Phoenix is off to a chaotic start with the Xfinity and the Cup Series finales lined up over Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Denny Hamlin calls Kevin Harvick the "most respected" driver in the garage
With Kevin Harvick reaching his final destination in the farewell tour, Denny Hamlin opened up about the #4 Ford driver's contributions on and off the field.
Speaking in the tribute video “4EVER Defining: The Closer,” Hamlin called his on-track rival Harvick the most respected driver in the garage.
“Well, one thing is for sure whenever Kevin speaks up whether it be in the media or at the racetrack, off the racetrack people listen. I think Kevin is probably the most respected racecar driver that we have in our garage,” Denny Hamlin said.
“I think that he’s really been a great voice and a great leader within our sport. And many years when we lost Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and that whole group, during that four-year span, really Kevin has been the leader amongst the drivers I feel like from that point. And it’s a role I think that he has really taken on and enjoyed doing.”
Joey Logano shared similar thoughts on the 2014 Cup champion, as he terms Harvick's off-track contributions a "true Hall of Famer move".
