"Always whining": Fans react as NASCAR’s 2026 schedule received a harsh ‘D-plus’ from Denny Hamlin 

NASCAR: NASCAR Cup Series Race at Richmond - Source: Imagn
ASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) waves to fans during driver introductions prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway - Source: Imagn

Denny Hamlin isn’t happy with NASCAR’s schedule for the 2026 season. When asked about it, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver said that he would give it a “D plus”.

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What bothered him the most was Dover Motor Speedway being stripped of a regular-season, points-paying race. The mile-long racetrack in Dover, Delaware, also known as the Monster Mile by the NASCAR aficionados, will host next year’s All-Star Race instead.

“D plus, I don't know,” Denny Hamlin said of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule. “Definitely taken away from Dover, I don't necessarily agree with that. I don't know what kind of tricks you make to kind of make that race compelling, but certainly I think that Dover fans endured a lot of heat for a lot of time to have some races taken away.”
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But fans on X lashed out when they heard what the Tampa, Florida, native had to say. One of them wrote,

“Dudes a dud. Always whining. Oh, and 0 championships.”
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Another wrote,

“He hates everything… he needs to find something to do that he actually likes.”
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Here are a few other reactions to Denny Hamlin’s comments on the 2026 schedule.

“Of course denny doesn’t like it,” a fan commented.
“What a crybaby bitch,” wrote another.
“What a shocker that the most negative driver in the sport doesn’t like the schedule,” someone added.
“Denny doesn’t like anything NASCAR is doing because they are beating him in court,” another fan chimed in.
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Notably, North Wilkesboro Speedway will host a points race in 2026, so that’s new. Furthermore, the sport will host a street event at the iconic Chicagoland Speedway, leaving behind Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.

For now, all eyes are on the final race of the 2025 regular season at Daytona International Speedway. Scheduled for Saturday, August 23, the 400-lap event will be televised on Peacock (7:30 pm ET) with exclusive radio coverage on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Denny Hamlin thanks Goodyear for “great short-track race” at Richmond

Denny Hamlin was impressed with how last week’s race at Richmond Raceway turned out. Perhaps the best part about it, as the driver said recently, was how well the tires were responding to the Virginian short track.

Addressing the same on his Actions Detrimental Podcast, Hamlin said,

“It was good to see a great short-track race. Some great tire fall-off. Thank you Goodyear, for bringing a tire that had over two to two-and-a-half seconds of fall-off. Fantastic!”
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“Richmond was kind of one of the very first short-tracks that was getting the, 'Oh man, this is kind of boring' type-feel, right? It's good to see that the tires do matter,” he added.

Denny Hamlin bagged his 13th top-10 of the season that day. Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon won the race and made the playoffs. The top five spots were rounded off by Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Austin Cindric.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma
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