Denny Hamlin weighs in on NASCAR playoff format after Homestead shakes up outlook

Denny Hamlin took some time to evaluate the NASCAR Cup Series playoff format following this past weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Tyler Reddick followed Joey Logano’s lead from Las Vegas the weekend prior, going from below the cut-line to having an opportunity to race for the 2024 title by virtue of getting to Victory Lane. While Hamlin recognizes the current format is certainly different from NASCAR’s heyday, he doesn’t believe it changes the way many of his peers race.

“It was a big deal for the No. 45 team to punch their ticket. Obviously, they were down in points, where we were, and now they’re going to have an opportunity to win a championship. It’s just certainly like, when Joey won, it really just turned the points upside down, because he was the lowest in points, because of the regular season, how he performed through the first 26 races was the lowest of all the playoff cars that were remaining. When he makes it on fuel mileage and wins, then it just, it flips all the points upside down,” Hamlin explained, via the latest episode of Actions Detrimental. “It creates this big gap to where now you’re putting everyone kind of in this must-win situation.

“I think that no matter what, you’re going to have — Tyler Reddick is still staying out on two lap tires, no matter what the point system is. He’s still trying to win. We’re all racing as hard as we can to win, just because the wins mean a lot to us personally, right? If you can get the benefit of making it to the next round or things like that, that’s just an added bonus, right? I’m after wins. My disappointment was from not winning the race. The whole championship thing that is just a sidebar, and a side effect of not winning.”

Additionally, Hamlin explained how the format have an effect on the way the top drivers in points react, like Kyle Larson: “It just shows — what I’m basically saying about the Kyle [Larson] thing is how vulnerable even the most dominant car throughout the regular season is. You just have (one) bad race and it’s bam, you’re below the cut and you’re going to need to do some work to make it, to have a chance at a championship,” Hamlin added.

“So yeah, it’s just, I don’t know — it’s certainly not the way Dale won them for sure. It’s certainly different.”

Many won’t agree with Denny Hamlin’s sentiment, but NASCAR fans have gotten used to the current path to crowning a champion in the sport. It may feel a little gimmicky, but moments like Tyler Reddick’s win at Homestead-Miami Speedway offset those feelings time after time.