Denny Hamlin hit out at NBC coverage after | Sports News

NASCAR famous person Denny Hamlin wasn’t shy to reply to criticism on NBC following his crash at Watkins Glen final yr. The Joe Gibbs Racing star is hoping for higher fortunes on the observe this weekend.

During the race, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was concerned in an incident with former Cup Series champions Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson because the vehicles went three-wide. As the sector headed into the right-hand Turn 2 three-wide, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 spun on the surface after contact with Keselowski.

The incident sparked debate within the broadcast sales space, the place analysts Steve Letarte and Jeff Burton questioned Hamlin’s position within the crash that risked his spot within the playoffs. During his podcast episode following the race, Hamlin did not maintain back on Letarte and Burton’s criticism of NBC.

“I will have to, I’ve got to defend myself a little bit, with [Steve] Letarte and others, and [Jeff] Burton, because they said, you know, I stayed three-wide there,” Hamlin mentioned on his Actions Detrimental podcast.

“If you go back and look in turn one, I was actually side-by-side with the No. 21. So, the No. 21 got clear of me, so I didn’t choose to go up there, because I was side-by-side with the No. 6 and the No. 5. I was up there because I was letting the No. 21 go into the corner, like you should — you don’t want to run side-by-side into the esses.

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“Well, then the No. 6 and the No. 5 jam it in there on me late, and yeah, I’m in three-wide high, however I am unable to hit the brakes enough to let each of them go. I imply, at this level, as a driver, whenever you’re three-wide, I do know this is not an official rule, however the code is whoever’s forward normally form of has the right-of-way.

“And if you’re the last car of three-wide, let’s just say you’re in the middle or on the bottom, and you’re the one who’s got your nose the least ahead, you should be the first to back out.

“I do know that that is not going to occur, particularly on this state of affairs. It’s arduous to cross, all people’s combating for the whole lot, however I used to be the furthest forward of all of the vehicles. I did not even see them.”

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Last year’s crash at the Glen was a dark spot on a season in which Hamlin was confident that he would finally win a Cup Series title. In 2025, Hamlin has since recorded four wins and appears to be one of the strongest contenders for this year’s championship.

However, Hamlin doesn’t view NASCAR’s current playoff format as favorable. It is designed to give fans a finale in which four drivers fight for the championship if they make it through the playoff rounds, with wins securing their spot in the next knockout phase.

Joey Logano was crowned a three-time Cup winner last year despite averaging the lowest finish for a champion in NASCAR history. “I actually could be in favor of a championship spherical,” Hamlin mentioned on the Dale Jr Download podcast following his win at Dover.

“You have all the opposite rounds, why not a championship spherical? I feel there’s enough compelling tales that TV might make it work.”

“I feel that that might reward the higher champion,” he added. “Not that there is been a champion that is not been deserving, nevertheless it’s actually the larger the pattern dimension that you simply give, it’ll be more indicative of your high drivers that carry out week in, week out such as you speak about. Not only one specific week.”