Fed Up Denny Hamlin Bashes NASCAR For Unwelcome Changes in Texas

Denny Hamlin recently dished on his podcast about Texas Motor Speedway ditching its iconic scoring pylon. He didn’t dive into specifics about the asphalt or the turns, but he did highlight another recent change at Texas—the removal of the scoring tower—which, according to him, made driving there even more challenging. Fans noticed the change as well—the scoreboard near Turn 1 really had been taken down.

“After I wrecked, I first of all I was looking for the scoring Tower to see who was running where couldn’t find the damn thing they took it out,” Denny Hamlin remarked. Hamlin didn’t stop there; he compared it to other tracks where similar changes have happened. “So, Bristol we used to have we used to have so they have the big video thing right but then they used to have a video like a round video board on the bottom of the that Center piece that would have the like a ticker the ticker of the of who’s running where.”

Further Hamlin explained, puzzled and a bit annoyed by the trend, “Now you only see like the top eight. And then uh we also had video boards up on the Suites at Bristol they took those out. Watkins Glenn we took out the scoreboard on the front STP um I I can’t make sense of why they’re taking out scoring pylons at these tracks well.” 

Denny Hamlin recently shared on his podcast that while Texas Motor Speedway has installed a new, crystal-clear video board at the back of the grandstand, it only displays the top eight drivers, noting it posed problems since it’s now the sole source for race standings during the race.

Interestingly enough, Jared Allen threw in a spicy theory during the podcast. He suggested that removing billboards might be a strategy linked to the rise of legal gambling in many states. The idea was that not having constant updates from a scoreboard could make betting a bit trickier, and less predictable. This change, while intriguing, has definitely made life on the track tougher for drivers.

Besides that topic, Hamlin also touched on Chase Elliott’s recent win and pondered what this victory might mean for the future of the HMS driver, adding another layer of intrigue to the ongoing NASCAR season.

#11 JGR driver says that the win would allow Chase Elliott to not get through the tough media questions about his next win

Denny Hamlin recently shared his thoughts on what Chase Elliott‘s win might mean for him moving forward. He pointed out how significant it was for Elliott to snap a winless streak that stretched across 42 races.

“It certainly is I think it’ll be big I mean I talked about the confidence aspect of but just the the monkey off the back yes! You don’t have to answer the questions of well when are you going to win it’s been over a year now. Like the clock resets so certainly he, you know, you buy some time there,” Hamlin explained, emphasizing the relief Elliott must feel.

Hamlin, who finished P30 in the same race, reflected on his own recent struggles but didn’t miss highlighting the brighter side of Elliott’s victory. He admired how Elliott had dedicated his victory to Hooters, his sponsor. Hamlin said that it’s a big deal when you can bring home a win for a sponsor, especially one that’s stuck by you through thick and thin without seeing much success, acknowledging the important role sponsors play in NASCAR.