Denny Hamlin still remembers the energy at Iowa Speedway last year, big crowds, and a region that fully embraced NASCAR’s Cup debut. With just one visit, he knew: Iowa showed up. Now, as 2026 schedule rumors swirl, Hamlin is speaking up for passionate fans in overlooked markets.

To him, Iowa’s turnout wasn’t just encouraging; it sparked a bigger conversation. With the Cup Series schedule still in flux, Iowa’s future is uncertain, but Hamlin’s support highlights the growing pressure on each venue to prove its place in NASCAR’s shifting landscape.

Iowa’s fan base and Hamlin’s perspective on the track’s future

As speculation continues about the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Denny Hamlin has emerged as a consistent voice supporting Iowa Speedway’s place in the sport. During Iowa weekend, he spoke about the fan turnout and the economic realities that shape attendance — a timely perspective as NASCAR leadership weighs value perception and crowd engagement.

Denny Hamlin spoke candidly about the fans’ enthusiasm and the significance of sustaining the Iowa Speedway race within NASCAR’s schedule. Reflecting on the previous year, Hamlin noted the solid turnout and energy that surrounded the race weekend. “The fans came out in great numbers last year here at this track,” he observed, pointing out that despite the dual racing events in the region, Iowa’s NASCAR race stood out as a major draw for the local motorsports community.

Reflecting on the previous year, Hamlin noted the strong turnout and the energy surrounding the race weekend. “The fans came out in great numbers last year here at this track,” he said, suggesting that many likely prioritized the NASCAR event over other races in the area. He compared it to his own experience growing up near Richmond, where fans focused their time and money on NASCAR weekends. “I mean it’s tough to ask people to just buy tickets and buy tickets to every single race,” he said, acknowledging how budgets influence attendance while speaking to Frontstretch.

Hamlin reinforced his belief in Iowa’s appetite for racing, saying, “Overall, I thought the crowd was great when we were here,” and speculated that the Cup Series race would attract even bigger turnouts given the strong attendance at ARCA events around the same time. With Iowa now moved from June to August, its strategic position just ahead of the playoffs gives further weight to Hamlin’s support.

It transforms the event from a mid-season curiosity into a race with real playoff implications, an evolution that boosts its long-term viability. Hamlin’s reflections suggest that Iowa Speedway isn’t simply filling a slot on the calendar, it’s making a case to become a lasting summer staple in NASCAR’s rhythm. And Hamlin, with both veteran insight and personal stakes in the sport’s next chapter, is helping make that case loud and clear.

Denny Hamlin’s role amid NASCAR’s changing landscape

As NASCAR’s 2025 season unfolds, Hamlin finds himself at a pivotal point not only competitively but also as an influential voice reflecting the sport’s fan dynamics and evolving structure. Denny Hamlin’s involvement in the ongoing debate over NASCAR’s playoff format goes beyond the racetrack. Recently, he publicly pushed back against media insiders who questioned his credibility as a driver, weighing in on playoff structure changes.

Denny Hamlin took direct issue with this approach on his Actions Detrimental podcast, stating, “I’ve never seen another sport that continues to question what their star athletes say than this one here… that’s what the people on that channel typically do. They continually question the people who actually have the credentials to give an opinion.”

Hamlin criticized the practice of dismissing driver opinions based on championships won rather than the merit of their arguments, calling out analysts who undermine the voices of active competitors. He challenged the logic, asking, “He doesn’t have a championship, so he’s not allowed to have the opinion that it came from. Am I missing something? Does Larry have one?” In Hamlin’s view, the repeated undermining of driver credibility by media analysts isn’t just personally irksome; it erodes the quality and integrity of the entire debate about NASCAR’s future.

Hamlin, a member of NASCAR’s playoff committee, has expressed concerns about the current playoff system’s legitimacy, particularly the reliance on a single championship-deciding race, which he believes is prone to unpredictable outcomes. He advocates for a broader sample size to crown a champion, a change he feels could also prolong his career by making the title chase fairer and less dependent on one event. His stance underscores a desire to innovate NASCAR’s postseason for competitive integrity and sustained fan engagement, even as the organization weighs potential new formats without firm decisions for 2026.

This candidness reveals Hamlin’s dual role as a competitor and an influencer seeking to shape NASCAR’s direction, emphasizing that meaningful change requires recognizing the insights of experienced drivers rather than dismissing them based on career accolades alone.