“You lose some credibility”: Denny Hamlin calls out NASCAR’s made up stats post Texas

Denny Hamlin, the Joe Gibbs Racing star, came clean on the issue of NASCAR making up stats post the race at Texas Motor Speedway. He said that NASCAR will lose “credibility” if it continues to fake stats. Hamlin also said that NASCAR fans are smarter than how NASCAR is treating them by faking stats to make the product look good.

Hamlin is a veteran of NASCAR Cup Series, currently driving the #11 for Joe Gibbs Racing. Over his 20 years in the Cup Series, Hamlin has amassed nearly 700 starts with 56 Cup Series victories including victories at Daytona three times and multiple wins at marquee tracks like Pocono and Kansas. He is widely regarded as one of the sport's most accomplished drivers without a championship title. Beyond the track, Hamlin has made a mark as a team-owner, owning 23XI Racing with the legendary Michael Jordan.

Denny Hamlin went on his podcast, Actions Detrimental, and shared his views on NASCAR faking the stat that the noses of the cars going ahead in a speedway are counted as a “pass”. Hamlin said:

"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. I don't know how else to say it."

"I just think that NASCAR created its own stats to make itself look good. You know, when you created a green flag passes stat that didn't even include the start finish line, it was just an invisible. However many noses go ahead of each other at any invisible point on the track. And we're going to count that as a pass. Like, I'm sorry, you're just making something up to look better." [1:06 onwards]

He also added that the core fan base is much smarter than what NASCAR treats them as.

In the 2025 season, Denny Hamlin sits third in the championship standings with 338 points closely trailing William Byron and Kyle Larson. He has secured two race victories so far this season. In addition to his wins, Hamlin has collected five top-five finishes and six top-tens.

---

Denny Hamlin lays down his expectations for 23XI Racing's Corey Heim

Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing, recently discussed his expectations for development driver Corey Heim ahead of Heim’s limited Cup Series starts in 2025, including his debut at Kansas. Hamlin emphasized that he does not set specific finishing position goals for Heim, explaining that there’s a significant difference between where a driver runs during a race and where they ultimately finish. He said in the Actions Detrimental podcast:

"There's not a finishing spot in which you're, 'Hey, I'll be happy if they finish whatever,' because I've learned after I watched the race this weekend, where you run and where you finish are two wildly different things." (10:05 onwards)

He cited examples where drivers can capitalize on race chaos or attrition to secure unexpectedly strong results, underscoring that progress and adaptability are more important than a particular finishing spot.

Hamlin further elaborated that progression is the main thing he wants to see from Heim. He wants Heim to demonstrate racecraft by making the most of restarts, fighting for positions and carrying the car beyond its baseline performance when necessary.