Denny Hamlin Urges NASCAR to Get Rid of Charlotte Roval Races

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin wants NASCAR to either get rid of Charlotte Roval race or replace it with an oval race on the same venue.

Denny Hamlin Urges NASCAR to Get Rid of Charlotte Roval Races

Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)

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The major story line from the NASCAR Cup Series race last weekend wasn’t Shane van Gisbergen’s massive win with 15 seconds lead, instead it was drama in the midfield between Joey Logano and Ross Chastain over R-8 promotion. JGR veteran Denny Hamlin like majority in the community wasn’t impressed with race, as well the entertainment it derived and has asked for changes.  

On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin has shared his thoughts on how predictable the road course race was and how much it differs from the oval race hosted at the same track, the iconic Coco Cola 600 that is entertaining every year. The only reason Roval is still in the playoffs according to him is the fact that Speedway Motorsports has a playoff race date.  

If this is on the oval, can you tell me who’s going to win on the (Charlotte) oval? I don’t think so. The [Coca-Cola] 600 was widely entertaining. The mile-and-a-half product with this car is amazing. I’m fairly certain that [the ROVAL] is on the schedule simply because it’s SMI’s (Speedway Motorsports) date.

Denny Hamlin said via Actions Detrimental.

The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran declared that the right thing to do was to host playoffs race in the Oval instead of the road course. He declares that there will be instant bump in TV ratings as well as ticket sales in the 2026 season, if they announce a playoff race in Charlotte oval. The comments seem rational, considering a majority of fans things there are too many road courses races already.

The right thing to do is to put us on the oval. …I beleive that if SMI and or NASCAR wants an instant bump in ratings and in ticket sales, in 2026, they announce, ‘We’re going to be racing in Charlotte in October, but we’re going to be racing left turns.’ I think your fan sentiment would go up.

Denny Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin slams narrative around NASCAR fans wanting season finale

One of the major topics of discussion in the NASCAR community at the moment is the need to go back to the iconic 36-race championship format. One argument the many uses to support the playoff format is that fans might not turn up for races if the someone wins title early in the season. According to Denny Hamlin, multiple surveys from the sanctioning body itself shows otherwise,

Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin (Via @JoeGibbsRacing/X)

There’s been a million surveys, but the fans have absolutely spoken in their fan council survey that NASCAR sends out that they don’t care about points as much as they care about who wins a particular race. They made that abundantly clear

Denny Hamlin said.

The veteran points out the argument from the shills are pointless and people will show up for races, even if the champion is already crowned. He pointed out that majority of race fans comes watch Cup Series races hoping to see their favorite drivers, such as Hendrick Motorsports veterans Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, win races.

So, the whole argument that some of the shills are making is that, ‘Oh, well you don’t want someone clinching early, people will tune out.’ That is absolutely not true. People will tune in to watch Chase [Elliott], and [Kyle] Larson, and the popular drivers.

Denny Hamlin added.

The comments from the Toyota driver seems rational and the success of other racing series such as Formula 1, Motor GP as well as IndyCar shows the original format is always crown the credible champions. It would be interesting to see how if the sport would listen to fans as well as Denny Hamlin.

Also Read: Kevin Harvick Exposes Why Joey Logano Is ‘Dangerous News’ for Everyone in the Playoffs