“It’s driving me crazy”: Denny Hamlin explains how NextGen car forced him to tone down his aggressiveness

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin is known for his on-track aggression and his "make no friends" attitude. However, since the introduction of the NextGen cars, Hamlin had to take a step back, and on the latest episode of the Action Detrimental podcast, he explained the same.

The seventh-generation cars, or NextGen cars, have been a subject of debate for quite some time, and the majority of NASCAR drivers, including veterans, want to make changes to the car. The Gen-7 cars were introduced three years ago during the 2022 season. The NextGen cars are equipped with a 5.86-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine, featuring a five-forward and one-reverse sequential manual transmission.

However, the seventh-generation cars lacks the ability to generate side force, making the car hard to drive for drivers like Denny Hamlin. Hamlin explained by comparing the Gen6 and Gen7 cars (via YouTube):

"Last year I laid back because I thought there was going to be a big wreck because I've been in everying wreck. I've been in every next-gen superspeedway wreck, and it's driving me crazy where I I went through 10 years where I'm up front in the Gen 6 car making moves and like the wrecks are behind me because that's where the dummies are."[30:10]

After a P25 finish at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 held at Daytona International Speedway, Denny Hamlin is set to compete in the Cook Out Southern 500 scheduled for Sunday, August 31, 2025, at Darlington Raceway. USA, MRN, HBO Max, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 will broadcast the 367-lap event live at 6 p.m. ET.

---

"Toughest line to walk": Denny Hamlin shared his thoughts on the intense battle with his teammate, Chase Briscoe, at Dover

NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin secured his 58th win of his Cup Series career and fourth win of the season at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20, 2025. However, his victory was not easy to come by, as he had to compete with his teammate, Chase Briscoe, to secure the win.

During a post-race interview with Cup Scene, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver recalled his intense battle with Briscoe on the closing laps of the race and told the press [01:04 onwards] (via YouTube):

"Yeah, that's the toughest; it's the toughest line to walk truthfully because if it is someone else, you don't mind running them up in the fuzz, right? If it's a teammate, you gotta sit down; you gotta see that guy tomorrow afternoon. So it's just a little different in that aspect."

"But you know, when we went back, right before we went back, Chris and I were walking back to our cars, and I said, 'Just don't wipe me out.'" I was just, you know, I was afraid with him on, you know, we got old tires. I don't know what the grip level of the track is. I just didn't want JGR to clean itself out and then, you know, somebody else win it," Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin currently ranks third in the playoff standings with 23 points above the cutoff line. Additionally, he has secured 2029 points, won four races, landed 13 top-ten finishes, and 11 top-five finishes with one pole position in 25 starts this season.