Dale Earnhardt Jr. calls out Denny Hamlin for ‘dogging the current NASCAR Cup playoff system’
Denny Hamlin believes the current playoff system is a gimmick.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)
NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has given his option on Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin, calling the current playoff system ‘Micky Mouse System’. The two-time Xfinity Series champion isn’t fond of the words from the driver, who is also a podcast host in his Dirty Mo Media production house.
While talking about the 23XI Racing co-owner’s words from the Action Detrimental podcast, Dale Jr. pointed out that it wasn’t wise of him to do it. He pointed out that Hamlin unconsciously finds mental outs from a possible disappointing end to his Cup title chase despite being a front-runner. Hamlin is the no-championship-winning driver with the most wins ever in NASCAR.
“When I heard him dogging the current system, it’s like, ‘Denny, no! Don’t do that, man. You’re already winning the middle battle. This is a step in the wrong direction…Wait a minute, man, don’t do that! I’m worried that Denny is already trying to find his mental outs,” the JRM boss said in the Dale Jr. Download podcast.
Hamlin is among the favorites to win the title this season. He has won two races in the regular season and one in the post-season. He has scored the highest number of points from races when the Winston Cup point system is applied, as a testament to his consistency. Hamlin was a contender for the win in all four playoff races. He has the most momentum going to the upcoming events at Talladega and ROVAL.
In case you missed it: Denny Hamlin predicts the Talladega playoff race will be a ‘sh*t show’
Why is Denny Hamlin critical about the playoff system and how he thinks it can be fixed?
The Major issue the 51 Times Cup race winner has with the system is that the champion is decided based on results from just one race, which completely disregards any gain from the previous 35 races.
Hamlin, though, has a solution for it, which is to increase the sample size of the playoff, which will eliminate any possible advantage a team could have on the track the season finale is held. He pointed out that instead of one, the Cup finale should be a three-race event where the best among the finalists gets the crown.
One of the major reasons Hamlin has gone on a rant over the current playoff system is that more than a handful of times, his desperate chase of the title was ended by the result of the last race. But as Dale Jr. pointed out, it isn’t the right time for the veteran to vent his frustrations as it might change his mentality for the upcoming events.
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Justin P Joy
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