As Denny Hamlin aims to bring home the Bill France Cup this season, there is little standing in the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s way to that elusive top step. Tied with HMS leader William Byron for most wins this season, Hamlin is eager to pull ahead, as shown by his dominant pace at Kansas before the incident with Austin Hill. But even if Denny Hamlin makes it to the tail end of the 2024 Cup Series as the favorite, a single race at the Charlotte Roval could spell disaster for the #11 driver.

After all, his past experiences at the alternative layout can be classified as nothing but sour grapes. With that being said, pressure from Dale Earnhardt Jr to switch both races at Charlotte Motor Speedway back to the classic layout could work out in Denny Hamlin’s favor.

Dale Earnhardt Jr highlights the strengths of the Next-Gen car

Back when the Charlotte Roval was introduced as an alternative for the fall race at the track, fans were delighted owing to the lackluster racing on intermediate tracks. But fast-forward to the 2024 season, and that dilemma has nearly ceased to exist with the Next-Gen cars. With each passing week at Intermediate Tracks, the Cup Series just delivers more and more action. Something that Dale Earnhardt Jr keenly highlighted on the Dale Jr Download.

Reflecting on the AdventHealth 400, Earnhardt Jr stated, “Kansas delivers once again and we are reminded once again how great the Next Gen car is on the mile and a half. And fans are calling for more mile-and-a-halfs. I’m good with it. I’m calling for more mile-and-a-halfs if you’re talking about the Roval going away and the Charlotte Oval going back to two races a year.” 

Compared to the intermediate races we’ve had in the Next-Gen era, the road-course races could be considered rather lackluster. Ironically, this was the very reason that the Roval was introduced. So now that it doesn’t serve that purpose, Junior believes that two races at the mile-and-a-half quad-oval would create far better racing. This could also help out Denny Hamlin by tons, as he’s never had a good weekend unfold according to plan at the Roval.

In the six races that have been held at the Roval since 2018, Hamlin has scored pole position twice. But that’s as far as the #11’s success has gone on the road. Despite starting from out front twice, Hamlin has only scored one top-five in the entirety of the Roval’s Cup Series tenure. Compared to his 16 top-fives and 2 wins on the classic layout, it’s safe to say that Denny Hamlin and the Roval just haven’t gotten along.

That being said, it appears that Dale Jr’s opinion on the track is largely similar, albeit without the results to go with it. Junior stated, “I was never a fan of the Roval. Listen, me and Marcus are pals, but I’ve told him in person to his face. I’m like, ‘Hey, not gonna love that one’. Fans love it. That’s, if you love the Roval, I don’t know, that’s great, I don’t know control what the schedule is but I won’t miss it if it goes away.”

While it’s safe to say that the Next-Gen car’s success on intermediate tracks has certainly warranted a push in that direction for Charlotte, Earnhardt Jr believes the vanity and grandiosity of the event have also been fading away throughout the years.

Much like the L.A. Coliseum, Junior believes the Roval has run its due course

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At the start of the 2024 season, the Clash at the L.A. Coliseum made major headlines, but not for the right reasons. In only its third rendition, the fanfare had died down. But as NASCAR seeks to replace the Coliseum with an equally capable venue in the Los Angeles/California market, Earnhardt Jr believes Marcus Smith and SMI are once again met with a similar dilemma when we consider the Charlotte Roval.

Compared to its debut in 2018, action at the Charlotte Roval hasn’t pleased too many fans, with many taking to forums like Reddit and X to express their loss of interest in the road course. This makes Earnhardt Jr believe that Marcus Smith only has a few options left on the table. Speaking of which, Junior gave SMI the benefit of the doubt while highlighting a probable solution.

Junior shared, “I think that Marcus is smart, he’ll shelf the Roval and take advantage of the popularity that the Next-Gen cars have on the mile-and-a-halfs. I feel like, you know, we got the Roval because of how bad the product was at Charlotte. It’s terrible, and so you know, he had to do something. And the Roval was good out of the gate, the same way in which racing at the Coliseum was cool the first time, but for me, after one or two, I’m done.” 

The JR Motorsports owner pointed to the Next-Gen car’s ability at intermediate tracks as a valid reason for bringing back the classic Charlotte Oval for two races going forward. After this weekend’s Kansas race, Junior believes this could be a make-or-break opportunity for Smith and SMI. He concluded, “I think he has to try and capitalize on the opportunity there for what it means to his racetrack financially, to go back to dates at Charlotte.”

After taking a look at the growing animosity towards Charlotte Roval, do you think Denny Hamin may not have to worry about a dismal result at the tail end of the series soon?