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Denny Hamlin Sends Strong Message to NASCAR After Kansas

Originally posted on EssentiallySports
By Pratham Gurung | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 10:14 PM ET

Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway was a rollercoaster for Denny Hamlin. Leading a race-high 159 laps and sweeping both stages, he had the No. 11 Toyota dialed in, looking like the guy to beat. But a broken power steering rack turned the final laps into a wrestling match, forcing him to muscle the car just to stay in contention. Despite the grind, he charged to second, a mere 0.069 seconds behind Chase Elliott, who snatched the win in a wild overtime finish. Hamlin’s grit was undeniable, but the loss stung, especially with playoff points on the line.

He now sent a fiery message to NASCAR about the sport’s bigger issue, as Hamlin’s not just fighting for a Cup title; he’s sounding the alarm on NASCAR’s fading spotlight. He’s calling out the schedule’s clash with football and an overstuffed calendar.

Denny Hamlin’s blunt take on NASCAR’s struggles

On Actions Detrimental, Hamlin didn’t hold back when asked about NASCAR’s viewership woes: “It all comes down to shares, and if football is on, I’m watching it. I might click around during commercials, but it’s my number one priority. It’s hard for any other sport to grow unless it takes attention away from football, which is just not happening. That’s the reality we’re up against.”

The numbers back him up. NASCAR’s 2025 Cup Series is averaging 2.52 million viewers, a 13% drop from 2024, with New Hampshire’s 1.29 million viewers and 0.70 rating a 28% plunge. Meanwhile, Formula 1 is gaining ground, with ESPN reporting 1.1 million for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and 16 of 17 races this season outpacing last year. The gap has dropped to under 200,000 viewers, a warning sign that NASCAR’s Sunday slots, competing against the NFL’s 17.5 million viewers per game, are a losing bet. Hamlin’s point is clear: football is king, and NASCAR has to find a new lane.

“Can I ask a question? Why not own Friday night instead of Sunday? Fans would have time to travel home and aren’t stuck with a school night. Sunday afternoon is traditional, but if you were building a series from scratch, maybe other days could make more sense to let people get back and still watch without conflict,” he said. It’s a bold idea.

Friday night races could dodge the NFL juggernaut and ease travel for fans. Sunday is tradition, but going head-to-head with football is a brutal mismatch. NASCAR has tried night races before, like Bristol’s electric vibe, but a full shift could pull in casual viewers and keep diehards from picking between sports. Hamlin is not just griping; he is pushing for a schedule that works for fans, not against them.

“You would not be racing 38 weeks a year if you built it from scratch. This schedule is oversaturated. Other sports can’t play every weekend because of collective bargaining, but we cram too much in. If race teams had a voice, we would never say yes to 38 weekends. Sunday afternoons in the fall are hard to make work with all the competition,” Hamlin added.

The 2025 regular season’s 2.64 million viewers is the lowest ever, and the 38-race grind, playoffs included, is burning out fans. Unlike the NFL’s tight 17-game season, NASCAR’s marathon feels relentless. Denny Hamlin’s call for a leaner calendar echoes teams’ frustrations, as the long haul stretches resources thin and dilutes the excitement, especially when football is stealing the show.

Christopher Bell’s Kansas near-miss ties to Denny Hamlin’s fight

Hamlin’s scheduling gripes connect to the Kansas chaos, where his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell came oh-so-close to stealing the win. Chase Elliott outfoxed everyone, slipping past Hamlin and Bubba Wallace on the final lap for the victory.

Bell, running third, couldn’t quite close the gap, despite JGR’s dominance with a 2-3-4 finish (Hamlin second, Bell third, Chase Briscoe fourth) and 23XI’s Wallace and Tyler Reddick in fifth and seventh. “I honestly don’t know what I could have done. I’m leaving here feeling pretty satisfied, and that was a bummer whenever I lost the lead on the final restart in overtime.” Bell said post-race.

Bell’s reflection shows the fine margins at play: “We caught the wrong timing line, but even looking back at it, it was such a 50-50 call on those restarts of whether you want it to be the inside or the outside. I don’t know what I would do differently.”

His playoff run with seventh at Gateway, a Bristol win, sixth at Loudon, and third at Kansas keeps him strong, despite a Darlington 29th. “I thought we left it all on the table and didn’t win today,” he said. Like Hamlin, Bell is fighting for wins in a packed schedule that is losing fans to football. Hamlin’s push for fewer races and smarter timing could have given their Kansas battle more eyes, making their podium finish a bigger moment in a sport desperate for attention.

This article first appeared on EssentiallySports and was syndicated with permission.

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