Is Denny Hamlin Overcommitted? Evidence from Talladega Suggests So

It appears that Denny HamliDenny Hamlin is taking on too many challenges and jobs. And he’s once again had to leave a race. Hamlin got turned around in a Toyota scuffle involving Erik Jones and Bubba Wallace. It resulted in his race ending late. Jones and Wallace also had to retire. “I just saw the No. 43 (Wallace) get turned and then I got turned,” Hamlin told Fox’s Regan Smith. The incident took place during Stage 3 of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway today, April 21. A track where Hamlin has previously enjoyed a lot of success. This was the second consecutive crash for Hamlin. Talladega Just like at today’s Talladega race, Hamlin crashed out late at last week’s Echopark 400 at the Texas Motor Speedway. It’s early in the season. Hamlin currently sits in third, just 28 points behind current NASCAR Cup leader, Kyle Larson. But with all the battles Hamlin is taking on on-track and off, from driver, to NASCAR Cup team co-owner, to podcaster,

— and very public critic of NASCAR — it must be asked if Hamlin is taking on too many fights. media mogul Denny Hamlin Versus NASCAR

Barely two weeks ago,

Denny Hamlin got into a nasty and very public fight with Marcus Smith, chairman of SMI (Speedway Motorsports). Smith runs SMI, which runs multiple NASCAR tracks, so this was not an easy fight for Hamlin. As we wrote at the time, “Hamlin and (Marcus) Smith engaged in a surprisingly nasty — and extremely personal — spat on X (formerly Twitter). Hamlin fired the first shot. He accused SMI of ‘paving on a budget’ at Sonoma and implied the company had done the same at North Wilkesboro.” There’s more. Denny Hamlin spent a good portion of the week leading up to Talladega very publicly complaining about changes to — and in some cases, tear downs — of the

pylons at NASCAR Hamlin said he spoke with Chip Wile, NASCAR’s Chief of Track Properties, about the issue. Standing in front of a media throng, Hamlin remarked that “what created so many exciting times during qualifying was when the number would pop up on the tracks.

scoring pylon . P1 for Dale Jr., whoever it was. That’s what people were looking at, and now it’s just a little different.” Is this a fight worth Hamlin’s time?While these kerfuffles drew a lot of fan and media attention, probably most draining for Hamlin is the ongoing NASCAR charter agreement battle. Hamlin has been outspoken on the need for NASCAR to offer a greater share of the media money to teams — like the team he co-owns with Michael Jordan, 23XI Racing. Hamlin has similarly been critical of NASCAR for not coming to the table enough as part of the charter negotiations. As we wrote in February, 2024, Hamlin clearly expressed his displeasure over

NASCAR ownership’s actions. “I can’t think of a league or an owner of a league or a commissioner that would decline meeting with his team owners. That’s very disappointing.” Denny Hamlin, Co-Owner and Self Promoter

Denny Hamlin

knows how to draw attention to himself. Take the popular Netflix series, NASCAR: Full Speed. As we wrote soon after its premiere, “Hamlin managed to make himself a centerpiece of the popular Netflix series.” This was not a criticism, as we added: “the thorny veteran emerges as an almost likable star of the series. A hard-driving racer, determined team owner, and deeply engaged father.” However, allowing the Netflix production crew into his work and home life is just another drain on his time. During last week's race at the Texas Motor Speedway, Hamlin was in the running with 13 laps left. Following a series of restarts,

Hamliln lost control and crashed his No. 11 into the wall. Additionally, Hamlin is a co-owner of 23XI Racing while also racing for Joe Gibbs Racing. It's not so much a matter of conflicting loyalties as it is a matter of focus. Despite crashing out at today’s Talladega race, Hamlin was present to support the winner, Tyler Reddick, who races for 23XI Racing. Hamlin expressed, “Every 23XI win is like watching your kids win.”

Denny Hamlin is involved in NASCAR as a co-owner, critic, podcaster, and driver. Is handling so many different roles starting to affect him?