Denny Hamlin drops 3-word reaction to Mamba Smith vs fan debate concerning NASCAR championship

Denny Hamlin had a three-word reaction to Mamba Smith having a banter with a NASCAR fan on X. The topic of the banter was the current playoff system, which Smith said he would like to tweak a little.

According to the playoff system, 16 drivers fight for the titular win, the NASCAR Cup Series championship, in the final 10 races of the season. The first nine races are divided equally into three rounds. After each round, four drivers are eliminated, and the reward for winning the 10th and final race of the format is the series championship.

Smith, however, thought that it’s better to have three races in the championship round. Detailing his stance, he wrote:

Mamba Smith

@MambaSmith34

The only thing I would adjust in the playoffs is making the 1 race in round one and 3 for the championship round. ​I’ll take this format over the Indycar championship being wrapped up with 2 races to go.

“The only thing I would adjust in the playoffs is making the 1 race in round one and 3 for the championship round. I’ll take this format over the Indycar championship being wrapped up with 2 races to go.”

“If we pull up to the last race and all someone has to do is finish 15th or better no matter what anyone else does. That’s not good,” he added.

Replying to Smith, a fan wrote:

torak

@Torak_34

@MambaSmith34 @Cradtm95 Why isn’t it good buddy? The point of the championship is to crown the best driver. That’s the purpose. It means nothing if it doesn’t do that basic function, which the playoffs consistently fail to do.

“Why isn’t it good buddy? The point of the championship is to crown the best driver. That’s the purpose. It means nothing if it doesn’t do that basic function, which the playoffs consistently fail to do.”

Smith then explained that the point of the playoffs was not to crown the best driver. It is to crown the best team that executed the most. Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin reacted to this with three words:

“Oh man, yikes.”

Denny Hamlin

@dennyhamlin

@MambaSmith34 Oh man, yikes.

Denny Hamlin drives the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. In July, he signed a contract extension with the team that will keep him behind the wheel of the No. 11 through at least the 2027 season.

A former winner of the Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin is also the oldest active driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has 58 wins in all, but his resume misses just one thing: the title of the Cup Series champion. He is in the playoffs this year, which gives the Tampa, Florida, native another shot at the ultimate honor.

Denny Hamlin gives verdict on NASCAR’s NextGen cars

The NASCAR NextGen car has been the curate's egg since its inception in 2022. Some say its balance is off, others demand more horsepower. For Denny Hamlin, it’s the lack of disparity in speeds that causes the most problems.

Earlier, there used to be differences in speeds; teams could tweak their cars to extract the most out of it. However, today, things are different. As all cars on the field are similar in terms of specs, the field has tightened up, making overtaking more difficult.

“The first time here in the Next Gen was on average lap time seven tenths or something in that range, and last time we came here, it was three and a half,” Denny Hamlin said in a statement, via Motorsport.

“The field is just now running the same speed, and at a track where you have to have three to three and a half tenths of speed to overtake the car in front of you, that means that the first-place fastest car is going to struggle to pass the 25th if he just gets put behind him.”

Denny Hamlin is ahead of the regular season finale, which is going to take place this coming Saturday at Daytona International Speedway. Named Coke Zero Sugar 400, the 400-lap race will be televised on Peacock (7:30 pm ET onwards) with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.