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“They’re Looking for a Game 7 Moment” – NASCAR Insider Empathizes With Cup-Less Dale Earnhardt Jr & Denny Hamlin’s Plea to Have “Another Chance”

Published 12/17/2022, 5:45 AM EST

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Ever since Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr raised points about scrapping the current format of the Championship 4 race, many have voiced their opinions and vetoed the points raised. NASCAR insider and Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft, sympathized with the two veterans and illustrated his views about the title decider race.

Kraft said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, “Do I love a Winter take-all Championship? As a true NASCAR fan, growing up since 1979, the first time I ever went to a racetrack? No. But they’re looking for a game seven moment. But from a racer, that’s 40-plus years old, like Dale Jr, like Denny Hamlin. They want another chance, right? They don’t want it to be what happens if we have a bad pit stop or what happens if we have a part failure or we have a tow link go bad because we brush the wall.”

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Kraft further stated that the immediate solution for the championship weekend was to leave it as it is. But not bring the last race to the same track again and again. He argued that Phoenix Raceway was being overused again and again, despite drivers claiming it not to be a good track.

Neither Junior nor Hamlin have been able to win the NASCAR Cup Series championship in their careers. Despite trying for years on end. Kraft believes that for these veteran drivers, it makes sense to go give them and everyone else as well a fair shot at the coveted Cup Series championship title.

Freddie Kraft agrees with Dale Earnhardt Jr & Denny Hamlin

Earlier, both Hamlin and Earnhardt Jr had criticized the way the championship decider is conducted. They suggested increasing the Championship four sample size to at least three races. Arguing that the single-race format was unfair toward many competing for the title.

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Kraft said that he agreed with Hamlin and Earnhardt Jr on their suggestions to change the championship four round. He also mentioned his dislike for the single-race format. Kraft’s major argument was the multiple “variables” that decide one’s championship. Adding that things like a bad pit stop should not be the determining factor of the outcome of someone’s championship.

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This year, even after trying his hardest, Denny Hamlin was knocked out of the championship four after Ross Chastain wall rode his way past him. Hamlin has been in the sport for nearly two decades and has been in the championship four countless times.

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However, luck has never been on his side. Even throughout Dale Earnhardt Jr’s career, achieving that one championship title never happened. Despite trying everything he could. But, if say the championship decider round was more than a single race, who knows, probably both of them might have scored at least one title in their careers. Hamlin may still have a few years ahead of him. Maybe he might get the chance to clench that long-awaited title someday.

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Written by:

Srijan Mandal

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Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR author at EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Master’s in Journalism and has been writing for his own blog as well, covering NASCAR, F1, F2, W Series, MotoGP, DTM, IndyCar, WRC, and WEC. Following motorsports for more than a decade, he has become a devout supporter of McLaren Racing, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Bubba Wallace, Sir Lewis Hamilton, and Ayrton Senna.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare