"This is what NASCAR wants" - Denny Hamlin weighs in on wildcard round of playoffs involving Atlanta, Watkins Glen, and Bristol

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin recently shared his take on the 2024 playoffs, following the end of the regular season at Darlington. Hamlin has secured a spot in the playoffs and is in contention to win the Cup Series championship title.

Hamlin, who drives the #11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, is a seasoned competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series. With 54 career wins, he stands as one of the most successful active drivers, currently ranked 13th on the all-time wins list. He's just nine victories shy of catching Richard Childress Racing's Kyle Busch.

In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin was asked about his thoughts on the "wildcard" races NASCAR has scheduled in the 2024 playoffs. He said:

"This is what NASCAR wants. Certainly I think that you could have some Championship legit final four contenders go out in the first round. I think that that's what they want, when they put Atlanta in the playoffs. It certainly adds some variables that...all of us drivers are going to have to make sure that we're doing the best we can, and don't get caught up in a big wreck" [50:19]

On the question of any strategies he has heading into the Quaker State 400, the first playoff race in Atlanta, Hamlin said:

"I mean certainly you want to avoid trouble but you also can't afford to just forego stage points so you're going to do everything you can to try to get those. And I don't know, try not to cause a wreck because you don't want to be in it. Although you would argue causing wrecks on Super Speedways usually ends up best for the person that actually causes it, and not so good for those that were right in the middle" (51:40).

Despite his impressive resume and consistent performances, the Virginia native is still chasing his first Cup Series championship, a feat that continues to elude him even after years of dominating the sport.

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Denny Hamlin offers his 23XI driver Bubba Wallace advice following playoff heartbreak

Denny Hamlin co-owns Cup Series team 23XI Racing with NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan. 23XI runs two cars in the Cup, the #23 driven by Bubba Wallace and the #45 by Tyler Reddick.

At the end of the regular season, Wallace could not make the playoffs, despite putting in good performances. However, his teammate Reddick was crowned the regular season champion and is contesting the playoffs.

Hamlin recently said the Alabama native and his team are on the right track and he felt success would come their way. In an interview with Frontstretch, he said:

"Well, I mean, certainly if they run next year like they run the last 10 and 12 races they're gonna be in the playoffs no sweat. So I think my message to them is stay on the track that you're at and ...Sometimes you gotta walk before you run and I think that certainly they've got some good things going" [01:51]