“It’s Weird!” Denny Hamlin Unhappy with NASCAR Decision to Ban Corey Heim from 2027 ROTY Trophy Chase

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin is unhappy with NASCAR’s controversial Corey Heim ROTY trophy rule change.

“It’s Weird!” Denny Hamlin Unhappy with NASCAR Decision to Ban Corey Heim from 2027 ROTY Trophy Chase

Denny Hamlin and Corey Heim (Via IMAGO)

Corey Heim for many was the driver to beat in the 2027 Rookie of the Year trophy for many, considering he has already won two races in 2026 and 23XI Racing is in fine form. But to the disappointment of many, NASCAR announced that the youngster isn’t allowed to be in the fight and his team owner Denny Hamlin is not happy with it.

NASCAR has made a new rule that only allows drivers with less than 12 Cup starts to compete for the ROTY trophy and Heim has already made 15 starts. Talking to Steven Taranto at Richmond, the veteran insisted that he wasn’t made aware of the decision before the public announcement and find it unnecessary to cap starts before rookie season for eligibility.

I wasn’t made aware of it, nor was I aware of what the plan was. I don’t think that we necessarily designated the certain amount of races based off of that.

Denny Hamlin told Steven Taranto.

Further talking about the point, Denny Hamlin indirectly questioned NASCAR’s reasoning to ban his driver from the chase and called the rule change weird. The veteran is right to point out that there was no real need to make such a change, as a young driver should not be punished for following his team’s development plan for him.

It’s weird, because they did say ‘oh, that’s case by case,’ which usually you just have a number. But it sounds like they put out a number, but it’s a new number, maybe?

Denny Hamlin added.
RELATED
“It’s Losing Its Value!” Corey Heim Breaks Silence on NASCAR Banning Him from 2027 Rookie of The Year Title Chase

Corey Heim complains about ROTY losing its stature

At Richmond, Corey Heim also talked about the dramatic decision and asserted that the sport is causing lose in credibility for the ROTY trophy with the decision. They might give the title to someone in 2027 even if the racer is not the best rookie in the year.

Corey Heim
Corey Heim (Via @CoreyHeimRacing/Facebook)

I mean, yeah, my only problem with it really is, you’re sort of losing value to that award. I think if you want that award to mean something, if you’re giving somebody a trophy and you say, here you go, you’re the best rookie, are you really? Or are you not?

Corey Heim said.

Further talking about the point, the Toyota driver pointed out that the sport should not have made such a rule change, as an award for the sake of it will lose its value. At the end of the day Heim is not losing sleep over the decision, as he is focussed on winning races.

That’s my thing: if you’re gonna give someone a trophy and take a picture, make it worth something, and it’s losing its value. But that’s just my opinion, and it’s not the end of the world; we’ll keep moving forward.

Corey Heim added.

The comments from both Hamlin and his driver about the ROTY are on point. It would’ve been better if NASCAR allowed the TRD driver to be in the fight, but at the end of the day the sanctioning body is allowed to put eligibility criteria and everyone needs to learn to live with it.

Also Read: “This Was an Average Race for Us!” Denny Hamlin Partially Blames No:11 Crew for Richmond Loss