When does one achieve stardom? Probably when they achieve the biggest of accolades in their field and stand out from the rest. However, in NASCAR, that elite level of stardom seems unachievable for the likes of Denny Hamlin, who feels like the sport is way too censored for genuine feelings to seep out.

In a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin called out HMS vice chairman Jeff Gordon for calling him “too controversial” due to his allegedly villainous antics. The 23XI Racing owner feels like being not controversial at all is what is stunting the growth of the drivers today.

Denny Hamlin revealed how the sponsors don’t allow the drivers to speak up for themselves

There was a time when the arena of NASCAR was full of controversies and fights. Remember the time when Rusty Wallace had thrown a water bottle square at Dale Earnhardt‘s chest the day before the 1995 Bristol night race?

From there, NASCAR has transitioned to an era where even saying the “S” word got the two-time Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr fined $10,000. Something must have changed radically, making the sport run out of its usual wreck-and-break attitude.

Moreover, it all happens due to the sponsors. Picture this: a famous company funds a NASCAR driver, who goes ahead and utters an expletive word in front of the media. The immediate response could be a steady decline in the sales of that company, harming their revenue. This is exactly why the drivers are tongue-tied when expressing themselves.

Hamlin said, “It drives me crazy, no one else has got the balls to be honest. It’s not the driver’s fault because they’ve clearly got white collars standing over the back of them making sure they don’t do it. That’s not good.”

“That’s stunting growth. That is stunting star power. I believe we have stars in our sports, but they will never get seen because you’ve got that mentality looking over their shoulders,” he added.

Watch this story: Denny Hamlin Blames Tony Stewart for Letting Down “Slowest” Kevin Harvick

Many might not agree, while others might. Good news for Denny Hamlin, he got the flowers from two veteran NASCAR insiders.

Kenny Wallace joined hands with veteran FOX Sports journalist to support Hamlin

In a recent episode of the Kenny Wallace Show, the 60-year-old host threw a pertinent question in front of Bob Pockrass. He was curious about what Pockrass thought about NASCAR’s corporate demeanor. Wallace asked, “The sport is too corporate. We all know that. And it’s because the sponsors don’t want their drivers saying anything wrong to dilute their sales. What is your opinion? Are we too cleaned up? Is that why we don’t have the drama? It was more fun back then…what’s your opinion?”

Bob Pockrass admitted that although the sponsors have too much influence on the drivers and the teams, they pay enough money to earn that influence. Like it or not, the way to fix it would be to become less dependent on the sponsorships.

Pockrass said, “If they can figure out the model and figure out this Charter system to a point where the teams are less reliant on sponsorship, they potentially can make more decisions on talent rather than the sponsors that a driver is bringing in and potentially let them be a little bit more themselves.”

Wallace agreed, saying, “That’s why I like Denny Hamlin. I like Actions Detrimental. Although it makes NASCAR wiggle a little bit, you got to go outside your comfort zone.”

Do you agree with Hamlin? Do you feel like the sport has become less eventful with its increasing dependency on the sponsors? We would love to hear your thoughts.

Read more: Denny Hamlin Brutally Tears Apart Jeff Gordon’s “Distracting” Personality Rant: “Thank God, I Don’t Drive for Him”