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Denny Hamlin has “major beef” with Fox following the broadcast of the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday. On Actions Detrimental, Hamlin explained why he had an issue with Fox.
“I think overall, TV did a good job. The convenient thing about driving is I was able to then watch it right back on my way home,” Hamlin began. “I thought everything was good, except I have one major, major beef with Fox. Major beef.
Give me my hair back @NASCARONFOX https://t.co/FvWa1Fa0T1
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 3, 2025
“I was so excited, actually excited to go to the production day this year because I’m like, ‘You know what, I’m finally going to lose the buzz cut.’ Whatever you look like on January 15 is what you look like for the entire year. So when I had that little clipper mishap, I had to live with a buzz cut the entire year.”
Hamlin was then asked if they used the buzz cut in production. “They haven’t changed it,” the three-time Daytona 500 winner replied. “They haven’t changed it. Give me my hair back, Fox. …I’ve got a Sport Clips car. I’ve got to show it off and hurry up before it gets gray.”
In January of last year, Denny Hamlin shared the production photos that showed him having a buzz cut. On social media, Hamlin wrote, “The hair was an accident.”
Denny Hamlin talks about preparing for the 2025 Cup Series season
While Hamlin may not like Fox for changing his photo, he is excited about the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. He had a strong showing at the Clash, finishing third behind Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott. After the race, Hamlin spoke to reporters about competing in the exhibition race.
“It’s really a truly good warm-up because you don’t have the pit crews, we have more practice than we have a normal weekend, but still feels like an abbreviated-type weekend. There’s not a whole lot you can do to the cars, right? Once you get here, you’re pretty locked in,” Hamlin said.
“Overall, it’s always been a way to build into our season. So we get the next couple weeks, next few days debriefing on this, the tiring, what can we learn from today’s race that can apply when we run this tire again. We’ll put our brains together and see if we can’t get a little better.
“I definitely agree, we’re always the next best. This is like Martinsville where it’s like the 9 and 12; we’re better. I’m the next guy in line or the next guy in line. Got to get over the hump.”
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Shares the Reason JRM Will Re-enter the Daytona 500 Field Post-2025
There is something undeniable about the pull of Daytona International Speedway. It’s a siren song that calls to every racer, mechanic, and fan who has ever smelled burnt rubber and high-octane fuel. But for the Earnhardt family? That place is practically sacred ground. It’s where legends were made, where hearts were broken, and where history is written at 200 miles per hour.So, when the news dropped that JR Motorsports (JRM) is loading up the hauler to take another swing at the Great American Race in 2026, it felt right. It felt like the universe was aligning. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller aren’t just owners. They are racers down to their marrow. And as Dale Jr. revealed recently, the motivation behind this return isn’t complicated corporate strategy or 4D chess. It’s simple, raw, and honest: They just want to race. The Earnhardt Philosophy: Racers Gonna Race If you tuned into the Dale Jr. Download on Monday, you heard the passion in his voice. There’s a purity to it that you don’t always find in modern professional sports. When asked why they are putting themselves through the grinder of qualifying for the Daytona 500 again, Earnhardt didn’t pull out a spreadsheet. He pointed to the racer’s spirit. “Kelley will tell you that we race,” Earnhardt said. “We got a chance to go race, we race. We just wanna race.”That statement right there? That is the ethos of a family that changed the sport forever. But let’s be real for a second passion doesn’t pay the tire bill. Earnhardt was candid about the financial reality of the situation. The Daytona 500 stands alone as a unique beast where the risk-to-reward ratio actually makes sense for an open team. Trying to run a one-off Cup race at a random intermediate track in July? That’s a quick way to burn cash. But Daytona? With the eyes of the world watching and partners willing to back the effort, it’s the one stage where the math works as well as the heart does. Getting the Band Back Together For fans of JRM, the 2026 entry feels like a reunion tour of a classic rock band. Justin Allgaier, the newly crowned Xfinity Series champion, is back behind the wheel of the No. 40 Chevrolet. And if Earnhardt has his way, the pit box will look familiar, too. The chemistry between a driver and crew chief is everything. It’s the difference between a trophy and a DNF. Earnhardt was clear about his desire to keep the magic alive by pairing Allgaier with veteran crew chief Greg Ives again. “I would have everything as it was,” Earnhardt admitted. “That was a great, fun group of people. They all wanted to be there. They all cared about it. “Seeing that kind of loyalty and continuity is special. It turns a business venture into a family affair. When you have guys like Rodney Childers hopping on social media to hype up the car, and shop employees treating the No. 40 like the flagship vessel of the fleet, you know you’ve got lightning in a bottle. That shared ownership, that collective pride that is the secret sauce that JRM has brewed up in Mooresville. The Nerves and the Earnhardt Reality Check However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As much as we love the romance of a Daytona return, the racetrack doesn’t care about your last name or your feelings. Attempting to make the Daytona 500 as an open team is one of the most stressful, ulcer-inducing experiences in motorsports. You are not locked in. You are not guaranteed a Sunday start. You have to earn it, either on the stopwatch or through the Duel races. Earnhardt is keenly aware of this. He’s been around long enough to know that confidence can be dangerous at the World Center of Racing.”You got to rein all the expectations back in,” Earnhardt cautioned. “We just got to get in the show.” It’s a humble approach from a guy who could easily walk around with a swagger. He knows the new body style brings unknowns. He knows that pure qualifying speed was a struggle last time. There is a very real scenario in which they have to race their way in on Thursday night, with 40 cars drafting inches apart and disaster lurking around every corner. A Star-Studded Partnership Adding to the excitement is the return of a partnership that fits NASCAR like a glove. Chris Stapleton and his Traveller Whiskey brand are back on the hood. You’ve got the biggest name in country music teaming up with the biggest name in racing royalty. It’s a crossover that just works. Final Thoughts But at the end of the day, all the sponsorship and hype fade away when the engines fire. What remains is the car, the driver, and the track. For Dale Earnhardt Jr., the moment of truth isn’t the checkered flag it’s that Sunday morning feeling. It’s pushing the car onto the grid, standing next to his driver, and soaking in the electricity of the Daytona 500.”That’s a proud moment,” Earnhardt said. And come February 2026, we’ll all be watching, hoping to see that No. 40 car roaring where it belongs.
New Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez reveals interesting health update after Orioles trade
Acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles, new Los Angeles Angels pitcher Grayson Rodriguez believes there is a big reason why he is ready to put his injury history behind him in Anaheim. Just three days after turning 26 years old, Rodriguez is now a member of the Angels after a one-for-one trade that sent outfielder Taylor Ward to Baltimore. He is also hoping that a new location means an end to injuries that have limited him to 43 starts over the past three seasons. That includes zero starts and innings in 2025 because of an elbow issue in spring training, followed by a right lateral strain in April. More elbow problems popped up for Rodriguez in July before he underwent debridement surgery on his elbow in August, officially ending his season. That surgery, however, is, Rodriguez believes, the key to his return to the mound in 2026 as well as his ability to stay on it. Angels' Grayson Rodriguez said bone spurs have been an issue for a long time In a Zoom meeting with Angels reporters on Wednesday, Rodriguez said the bone spurs that were removed had been a problem for years. "That was something that's kind of lingered with me for about three or four years now," Rodriguez said. "I've had them for a while and kind of just got to the point where I couldn't really pitch through it. Pretty sure that's kind of what was causing some of the lat injuries." If that's the case, it could unlock a pitcher who has logged a 4.11 ERA in 238.2 innings over those 43 starts. He has also registered 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings while issuing just 2.9 walks. Getting those kinds of numbers would be a big boost for an Angels rotation that finished 28th out of MLB's 30 teams last season in ERA at 4.91. It would also represent a missed opportunity for an Orioles team that has stated it is looking for another front-line starter. Rodriguez said on Wednesday he would be ready for spring training, giving hope to the Angels that they have found a pitcher who can be a long-term answer for them on the mound. Rodriguez is not scheduled to be a free agent until the 2030 season. If Rodriguez can stay healthy and produce in Anaheim, it would be a gut punch for an Orioles team that is looking to get back into the postseason conversation in 2026. However, time will tell if those bone spurs are truly the answer to Rodriguez staying healthy and on the field.
Aaron Rodgers explains his criteria for playing Sunday vs. Bears
Aaron Rodgers has always been a tough quarterback. He has dealt with several injuries throughout the course of his career, but he's always done everything he could to see the field. That's no different now that he's with the Pittsburgh Steelers and dealing with a fracture in his left (non-throwing) wrist. Rodgers injured himself against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, but he's already talking about trying to get back for Pittsburgh's Week 12 contest against the Chicago Bears. In fact, he revealed on Wednesday that he will try things out at practice before this week is over. "It feels better than it did Sunday, that's for sure," Rodgers said Wednesday afternoon, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "... Was thankful to get today to work with [head athletic trainer Gabe Amponsah] and just focus on rehab for today. Trying to get back on the field tomorrow and see what I can do." Aaron Rodgers going to test out his wrist injury on Thursday Rodgers wants to be able to play against the Bears, a team he has owned throughout the years, but he's also saying that he'll be cautious. Remember, he is just weeks away from turning 42. A fractured wrist would be tough to play with at 24. As anyone who has ever gotten older would attest, things tend to hurt even more as you age. Throw in the fact that Rodgers is playing perhaps the most physical sport on Earth, and it makes sense that he does have a very specific standard that he must meet before he decides if he can play — and it has nothing to do with pain. "It's a safety thing," Rodgers said. Rodgers has played in 29 regular-season games against the Bears in his NFL career. Including two playoff wins, he boasts a 26-5 record against them. Since he last squared off with Chicago as the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers in 2022, he had won nine games in a row against the Bears. If he feels he can keep himself safe on Sunday, you can bet he's going to try to play.
One coach makes sense for LSU if Lane Kiffin doesn't flip to Tigers
The LSU Tigers are serious about their pursuit of current Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. It makes sense, too. Sure, Kiffin has had some ups and downs (to put it lightly) as a college football coach, but he's been great at Ole Miss since 2020, and he currently has the Rebels at 10-1 and in the running to make a huge run through the College Football Playoff. He's comfortable with SEC football, and he's known as a great recruiter. Those are all things that would make Kiffin a big-time hire for the Tigers as they look to replace Brian Kelly, but they're not the only program in the running. Ole Miss would, obviously, like Kiffin to stay, and the Florida Gators are turning on the full-court press for him as well. LSU would be smart to have options 1A and 1B if Kiffin doesn't end up coming to Baton Rouge, and according to Scott Rabalais of NOLA.com, the Tigers do have two names in mind. "If not Kiffin — and obviously he could go any number of ways — then who for LSU? Two of the names to consider right now appear to be Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz and Tulane coach Jon Sumrall," Rabalais reported earlier in the week. Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall could be a perfect fit for LSU Tigers Eli Drinkwitz of Missouri would be a great option. He's gone 44-27 in six seasons with the Tigers from Columbia, Missouri. The issue with him is somewhat similar to what plagued Kelly at LSU, though, and it's something that led to Penn State firing James Franklin — now the head coach at Virginia Tech. Drinkwitz has kept Mizzou very competitive in the SEC, but he has struggled in big spots. He is 7-14 against ranked teams. LSU could get that kind of production, or lack thereof, from Kelly, which then makes Jon Sumrall from Tulane the next option to look at. Frankly, he may be the best one of the bunch for LSU, and even better of a fit than Kiffin. One of the big problems with Kelly at LSU is that he never fit into the Louisiana culture. A Massachusetts native, he was always seen as an outsider and never tried to change that. Sumrall wasn't born in Louisiana, but he does hail from Texarkana, Texas, which is roughly five hours north of Baton Rouge. He was a linebacker at Kentucky from 2002 to 2004, so he understands SEC football, but most importantly for LSU, he understands life in Louisiana as the head coach at Tulane. He's now in his second season with the Green Wave, but he was also the co-defensive coordinator at Tulane from 2012 to 2014, so he has a lot of experience working and recruiting within the state. Throw in the fact that he's only 43 years old (thus, he really has no baggage as a head coach), and he has No. 24 Tulane in the hunt in the American Athletic Conference as well as in the hunt for a spot in the CFP, and there are few scenarios in which Sumrall wouldn't be a home run hire for LSU. Again, he may even be a better option than Kiffin, though it does sound like LSU wants to bark up that tree first before looking elsewhere.
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