Denny Hamlin blames credibility issues for causing fans to lose faith in NASCAR

Denny Hamlin suggested that NASCAR fans are losing faith in the leadership of the sport, citing credibility issues as a major factor behind the low morale among long-time viewers. The 23XI Racing co-owner added that the sport is losing trust with its "smarter" fans as it continues to chase casual viewers.

Hamlin referenced Elton Sawyer's comments on the Talladega race, where the senior VP of competition highlighted the number of lead changes and appeared uncertain if anything needed to change.

Although both drivers and fans were frustrated with the race's finish, Sawyer's perspective didn’t sit well with the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

In a recent episode of Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin criticized the governing body for losing credibility with core fans. He suggested that comments from NASCAR leadership are alienating the sport’s longtime fans.

Hamlin said that core fans are smart, see beyond the three or four-wide racing on superspeedways, and resonate with the drivers' opinions.

"Elton go on last week talk about Super Speedway Racing and say 'Well I don't understand what do we have to fix. Look at the stats that we've had 67 lead changes...' I think you lose some credibility with the fans and I think the fans have a low morale right now due to their lack of faith in the competition leadership." he said [42:05 onwards]

Hamlin also reflected on his conversation with former driver Michael Waltrip, who believed that casual fans would enjoy the two-wide racing at Talladega. However, the #11 JGR driver disagreed, suggesting that NASCAR needs to appease its core fan base.

"The amount of casual fans watching us every week is 10%? Our fans are core, man, they know what they're seeing. They’re smarter than you think they are. Certainly, they will listen to what the drivers say [about Superspeedway package]... If you are the sanctioning body, if you discredit what your drivers are saying and what your core fans are saying, I think you lose some credibility with them." [44:10 nonwards]

Despite Jeff Gluck's "Good Race" poll trending downwards in recent weeks, Denny Hamlin praised Marcus Smith and Speedway Motorsports for their efforts in promoting the Texas race, as the grandstands appeared packed.

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Denny Hamlin urges NASCAR officials to cancel media initiatives

NASCAR launched the weekly 'Hauler Talk' podcast earlier this year, aiming to provide transparency on decisions made by race control. Several officials also make regular appearances on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, where Elton Sawyer recently shared his comments.

Although Denny Hamlin appreciates the transparency, he suggested the governing body should abandon their media initiatives, as they continue to brush off suggestions from drivers.

He suggested that the sanctioning body created selective metrics to make the sport look good.

"I think they should probably just cancel the whole coming on the radio… I know why NASCAR comes on every Tuesday morning to say, 'Here’s why we did this' I appreciate that transparency... I just think that NASCAR created its own stats to make itself look good… You’re just making something up to look better." [42:52 onwards]

Denny Hamlin also took a jab at Hauler Talk host Mike Forde, after Forde disputed Hamlin's claim about the "run what you brung" race. Forde suggested it would have cost teams zero dollars, dismissing Hamlin's $2 million estimate.