One of the most unusual things to come out of Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing saga was a workplace rule banning hoodies. But the dress code was only one part of a wider debate over his management style, with anonymous employees raising concerns about life inside the organization. The complaints have put Keselowski’s leadership under scrutiny, even as RFK has made competitive strides. Now, Denny Hamlin is weighing in on the controversy, drawing on his own experience as a team owner to explain why the criticism may not tell the whole story.

“Brad has a specific vision he wanted for his race team, and if you listen to the anonymous people that chimed in on that article, while they said they definitely listened, if they brought up the hoodies, it means they didn’t like it. They didn’t like that, right? They changed the wallpaper of their computers, but no one in there denied that well the results were better.”

Hamlin’s take boils down to a divide between workplace culture and performance on the track. Still, his view comes from the outside looking in, as he’s just drawing conclusions from The Athletic’s anonymously sourced reporting.

The complaints might have exposed an uncomfortable side of Keselowski’s management. But Hamlin believes they don’t erase what the former Team Penske driver helped build. And there is more to the story than employees being told what to wear.

When Keselowski joined the organization in 2022 as both a driver and co-owner, he wanted to bring the team closer to the professional standards he had experienced at Penske. According to The Athletic’s reporting, that vision included a no-hoodie rule, white walls throughout the shop, an upgraded gym, and computer wallpapers displaying the team’s core values.

Those changes may sound minor individually, but together they reflected Keselowski’s desire to reshape the organization’s identity. He acknowledged the hoodie rule himself when discussing his departure in Las Vegas, admitting it had earned him some criticism. The report also described a demanding leadership style and tensions over how much influence he should have beyond competition, including marketing, sponsor activation, and branding.

The details emerged as Keselowski’s exit became public, adding another layer to a split initially explained as a difference in career plans. RFK wanted him to move toward a leading competition role sooner, while Keselowski remained determined to continue racing. The wider reporting suggested that disagreements over his influence and the team’s direction also played a part. RFK leadership, however, pushed back against the idea of an adversarial relationship.

Keselowski even responded to the hoodie discussion with a sarcastic post on X: “Didn’t know so many people loved hoodies.” It was a brief jab, but it captured how an unusual workplace rule had become a talking point around his departure.

Hamlin, however, is not interested in declaring Keselowski’s approach wrong simply because some employees disliked it. At 23XI Racing, he takes a different route, allowing competition staff to dress casually and wear what makes them comfortable. Team apparel remains common, but Hamlin doesn’t believe a stricter dress code is necessary to establish a professional environment.

That difference matters because Keselowski’s impact at RFK cannot be judged by workplace complaints alone. The organization had spent years trying to return to the front, and his arrival coincided with a significant competitive step forward. In 2023, Keselowski finished eighth in the Cup standings, while teammate Chris Buescher won three races. Keselowski then broke his own winless streak with a victory at Darlington in May 2024. In 2026, RFK had two drivers (Ryan Preece and Buescher) hunting for the championship in the Chase.

The irony is that Hamlin once considered bringing Keselowski into 23XI before the latter joined RFK. Hamlin revealed that he contacted Keselowski when Keselowski was preparing to leave Penske, but the discussions went nowhere because they had different expectations over compensation and ownership. Keselowski ultimately found the ownership opportunity he wanted at RFK, where he could help shape the organization rather than simply drive for it.

That history gives Hamlin’s current assessment added weight. He understands why Keselowski wanted control over his environment, even if he would not impose the same rules on his own team. As he put it, “Me and Brad just have different ways, and there’s not one way that I’m saying is better than the other.”

For Hamlin, the key question is whether people can buy into a leader’s vision. Some employees may thrive under a demanding structure; others may resent it. The complaints deserve attention, but they do not automatically invalidate Keselowski’s work. Hamlin’s point is simpler: a team owner’s methods can be controversial without making the results any less real.