During the latest episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin rasied strong concerns about the growing lack of respect among drivers in the racing circuit, a sentiment he shares with fellow racer Martin Truex Jr.
Hamlin agreed with Truex’s long-standing complaints about the careless and disrespectful driving witnessed during certain racing moments. Hamlin explained:
“I think Martin’s had this gripe for quite some time.
“It’s different now than what it used to be. There’s certainly not a whole lot of respect amongst the drivers, especially in these green-white-checkered situations. We see it over and over, year after year and it just keeps getting a little worse each year. There’s just no regard anymore.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FexEx Toyota, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on September 15, 2024 in Watkins Glen, New York. Denny Hamlin raises concerns about aggressive driving and lack of respect.
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“If there’s a quarter of a car width wide, someone’s gonna jam it in there in Turn 1 and if you spin, that’s not their problem.
“There’s just not enough accountability for that. If you think that someone caused a wreck, then you need to self-police this thing and make sure that they know that this was for that incident or whatever it might be.
“But certainly, it seems it’s not going well at the end of these races when it comes to green-white-checkereds. Guys are running over each other for one spot, but there’s not much you can do to change it. Martin just saying, ‘I’m done, I’m out of here,’ is just quintessential Martin Truex.”
Hamlin’s remarks follow a particularly frustrating race for Martin Truex Jr. at Watkins Glen, where Truex finished in 20th. He felt unfairly targeted late in the race, contributing to his exasperation with what he perceives as a lack of genuine racing during restarts. He commented to the media after the race:
“It’s just crazy that all these races always come down to this. I don’t really understand how guys can call their self the best in the world when they just drive through everyone on restarts at the end of these races. It’s very frustrating but it is what it is these days, so I’m out of here.”
Backing these sentiments, Chris Gabehart, Hamlin’s crew chief, provided his analysis during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. He likened the late-race situations to “bumper cars,” lamenting the disorderly nature of such moments.
“You see it every week, saw it yesterday in the Xfinity race.
“Anytime a caution comes anymore after the last stage caution in any of these NASCAR races now. You just see a mess. And you know, I guess quantitatively, I’ve never raced with this much stakes on the line as a driver. And that’s great. It makes for great sport. It means everybody’s got to push really hard.
“There’s a lot on the line, I get it. But is sure seems like the optics are starting to turn into bumper cars and that’s not racing. I don’t know what you do about it, but golly it looks like a mess.”
