Denny Hamlin Brands NASCAR New Championship Format the “Best Change Ever”

Last Sunday saw Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin securing the points lead from his driver Tyler Reddick. He is now the leading contender for the title and seems to be taking full advantage of the new format. NASCAR ditched the win and in playoffs format to bring back the ten race chase format for 2026, changing the whole championship dynamic.

On the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, the No:11 Toyota Camry driver pointed out that getting rid of the old format was the best decision the sport has made in a long-time. He highlighted how the bigger sample size and weightage on consistency makes the title more legitimate than in the past.

Getting rid of the win and you’re in. Oh, maybe the biggest, best change ever, because now we know someone can’t just get lucky and pop one off from 24th in point. You got 26 races to prove yourself right and so one good or bad week should not be the indicator of whether you’re in or out like it’s no, you got a big old sample size.

Denny Hamlin said on Actions Detrimental podcast.

The end of "win and you're in" might be NASCAR's best change yet. 📈 pic.twitter.com/pMNemlPtMi

— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) June 30, 2026

The old format was so ridiculous to an extent, as a driver who was running outside the top 30 can secure a lucky win on a road course or Superspeedway, and earn a top 16 spot those worth millions over a driver that was consistently running in the top16 the whole season. Denny Hamlin is happy that unfair system is no longer part of the sport.

Somebody from 30th is not gonna just get in and take your spot that you’ve been running 16th, you know for 25 weeks. And then on the 26 weeks, somebody 30th and points just knocks you out. That doesn’t seem fair to me.

Denny Hamlin added.

Further talking about the point, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran pointed out that unlike in the past, the drivers are more concerned about points. Everyone knows winning a one off-race won’t cut it and they need to secure as many points as they could to make it into the next round. It makes racing more competitive and respectful.

Without a doubt, we all care about our standings now more than ever. All these guys know that it’s over that ten-week period. You’ve got to start with as many points as you possibly can. I think the format they did just a great job with it.

Denny Hamlin asserted.

Denny Hamlin gives a verdict on if Shane van Gisbergen is finally beatable on road courses

Another key talking point from the Sonoma race was Shane van Gisbergen winning the race. But it didn’t come easy as the JGR duo of Chase Briscoe and Ty Gibbs gave him a run for his money by matching his pace. This started the discussion that is SVG has become more beatable on road courses.

Hamlin talked about it on his podcast and pointed out that it is not entirely true. While the rival drivers have matched the pace, they haven’t matched his superior skills and flawless execution yet. Trackhouse cars not being strong also played a key role him being slowed in 2026.

You could beat him, but you still got to put in the back of your mind that the Trackhouse cars still have not been great this year. So, he’s probably not driving the fastest car, but he’s driving it the fastest, so maybe he gets that advantage back when his cars get a little bit faster… He’s just not going to make that many mistakes.

Denny Hamlin said.

The comments from the veteran driver are on point and shows how the Cup garage should be cautious about analyzing the performance of the Kiwi racer. It would be interesting to see how everything is going to playout for the star drivers in the coming days.

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