Denny Hamlin Not Happy With NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament Decision originally appeared on The Spun.
NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge got off to a wild start, as Denny Hamlin and numerous top contenders got eliminated in the opening round.
The tournament debuted with Chase Elliott winning an eventful race at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway. Hamlin, who entered the 32-driver bracket as the No. 1 seed, lost to Ty Dillon after wrecking before he could finish. Each quadrant’s top seed was booted, costing them an opportunity to win the $1 million prize.
Hamlin foresaw chaos when criticizing the seeding structure last month. On his latest Actions Detrimentals podcast, the 44-year-old questioned NASCAR’s decision to commence the In-Season Challenge at Atlanta.
“This is the unpredictability of putting us on a speedway race,” Hamlin said. “It’s why I’m so against it being in the playoffs. It’s why I’m so against it being the start of our bracket.”
Hamlin noted that, outside of Elliott, nobody who advanced on Sunday has won a race this season. Comparing the tournament to March Madness, the No. 11 driver theorized that some upsets spice things up, but too many will lessen fan engagement.
“When your bracket is absolutely smashed after Round 1, do you really care about Round 2, 3, 4, 5? No,” Hamlin claimed. “So you’re going to be less interested in the second round, third round, because your bracket is already trashed.”
Of course, NASCAR can’t pre-determine the outcome to ensure Hamlin and other top drivers last deep into the tournament. He’d still like a new venue for the opening round.
“This isn’t WWE, so you can’t just write a script,” Hamlin said. “But I’m saying, it’s probably not a good idea next year to start this thing at Atlanta Motor Speedway.”
After his first-round victory, Dillon repackaged his opponent’s former catchphrase when telling Hamlin fans that he “just knocked your favorite driver out.” The often boisterous Hamlin had no hard feelings, saying he “loved” Dillon’s trash talk.
“Give him his moment, people,” Hamlin declared. “He beat me.”
The In-Season Challenge will continue with the second round at Sunday’s Chicago Street Race.
Related: Entire NASCAR Field Receives ‘Warning’ About Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin Not Happy With NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament Decision first appeared on The Spun on Jul 1, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
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