The newest NASCAR discussion topic of the week does not interest Denny Hamlin much. In fact, he thinks that it’s being overblown. After every race of the season, we have these conversations online about all the problems with the race we just watched.
This week after Dover, it’s about aero blocking. When drivers in the lead move up and down the track to match the same line as the driver behind them in order to dirty up the air. It takes momentum away and is very hard to overcome.
Kyle Larson wants to get rid of rearview cameras. He talked about how easy air blocking had become in the Next Gen car. Larson also acknowledged that he uses it to win races and hold track position. He’s not innocent.
With that said, Denny Hamlin believes that the whole thing is overblown. He isn’t convinced that this is much of an issue with the Next Gen car as it is an evolution of racing.
“I think that I won so there’s going to be bitching,” Hamlin explained on Actions Detrimental. “It was the restart at Richmond. It’s just always something.”
The media even asked him after the race about aero blocking. He thought it began in 2019 with the 550 intermediate package. However, there are tweets from 2012 that talk about “mirror driving” which is, essentially, the same thing.
“Yeah they asked me in the media center when I thought it started,” said Hamlin “I thought it started back in 2019 when we were running the big ass spoilers and the 550 package on mile and a half. If you remember, there was a time when Kevin Harvick was so much faster than Joey Logano I think this was at Kansas and Joey was just swerving in the middle of the corner, left and right, trying to hold him off, and he did.
“He held him off. … It’s been around for quite some time.”
Denny Hamlin knows that he isn’t the most popular driver. He did get about a 50/50 reception at Dover, boos to cheers. So, that might be changing a little bit. There is no doubt that he has his fair share of haters and detractors in the NASCAR fanbase.
While fans complain about the next weekly flaw with NASCAR racing, Denny is focused on picking up more checkered flags. Kansas and Darlington are up next. Don’t be shocked if he picks up another win.
The 11 team is a legitimate championship contender.
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