Denny Hamlin breaks silence on Joey Logano calling NASCAR fans ‘spoiled’

Denny Hamlin pointed out that Joey Logano was taken out of context.

Denny Hamlin breaks silence on Joey Logano calling NASCAR fans ‘spoiled’

Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano (Via IMAGO)

The 2024 NASCAR Cup season will kick off with the LA Clash this Sunday. Going into the season, one of the major discussions remains two times NASCAR Champion Joey Logano’s claims about the accessibility of drivers in the sport. The Team Penske driver said the NASCAR fans are a bit spoiled because they have oversaturated access to the drivers.

Logano’s words created a massive drama online, and following the backlash, the Ford driver was forced to clarify his words. He said that he was taken out of context and had no negative intentions with the comment. Now, Joe Gibbs Racing’s veteran racer, Denny Hamlin, has come forward to defend Logano.

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In the first episode of the new season of his podcast “Action Detrimental,” Hamlin revisited news from the off-season. While discussing the Logano controversy, he pointed out that the champion was taken out of context and said that Logano just wanted to emphasize the degree of access NASCAR fans had. He added that, as Logano said, NASCAR fans have the luxury of driver access.

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It got a little blip on the media radar for a while there, and then people were talking about it on social media — Joey’s comments about our fans being, you know, a little too spoiled. I think it was taken a little bit out of context. It’s certainly not what he meant. He just meant that our fans have a ton of access; compared to other sports, we have a ton of access. So where do you guys stand on that, because it is such a hard topic, and I think about it as well.
Hamlin stated via Action Detrimental.

The sponsorship crisis might be a reason for fans feeling NASCAR drivers aren’t doing enough

Logano is right and wrong about the topic at the same time. While it is true that NASCAR fans have huge access to the drivers, it is also true that this accessibility has come down compared to the past. The fans have noticed this interaction drop and are unhappy about it.

NASCAR Truck Series race at Talladega
NASCAR Truck Series race at Talladega (Via IMAGO)

One of the major reasons for this drop is the change in sponsor dynamics in the sport. Unlike in the past, the fan interaction events hosted by the sponsors have come down. Now drivers don’t have to make the same physical appearance, and this might have caused the new situation, according to Hamlin.

They were at — for Davey, they were at the gas station. Dale Earnhardt was at a dealership. So it’s the activation within the sponsor, and how do they activate the sponsorship that they actually have. That’s probably why you see less of driver appearances, because the sponsorships are pieced together.
Denny Hamlin said.

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