Denny Hamlin advanced to the Round of 8 on Sunday but didn't have the race he was looking for, as he ended the Bank of America Roval 400 with a 37th-place finish after wrecking out late in the race.
That likely added to the frustrations he expressed during a new episode of his podcast "Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin," on which he dug into the newly announced 2024 NASCAR schedule.
Hamlin had plenty to talk about with the new schedule, including bashing the new tracks moved into the playoffs, among other issues.
There is plenty on the new-look schedule that could become a frustrating topic of discussion once the 2024 season starts.
"There were some moves by NASCAR in the playoffs that I didn't agree with either," Hamlin said. "I didn't see many that thought this was a good idea in the spirit of competition."
Hamlin was referring to the addition of Watkins Glen and Atlanta to the playoffs, putting two road courses and drafting races in the playoffs. Keeping the Charlotte Roval in the playoffs has also been a big topic of discussion by some of NASCAR's personalities.
Hamlin then questioned the placement of some races in the earlier part of the schedule, such as the first Atlanta race being in February. "NASCAR did it for fans to have a good time," Hamlin quipped before questioning the weather in Georgia at that time of year. "I don't even know that they even put the fans first that much," Hamlin continued. "I mean, putting Atlanta in February."
That, however, wasn't Hamlin's biggest problem with next season's schedule. While Hamlin has won at both Daytona and Darlington in his career, he isn't on board with Darlington hosting the final race of the regular season next year.
"I don't know, I just can't make sense of the change, not just moving it out from the regular season but moving it one week," Hamlin said. "I guess what explanation, again, I'm just using (NASCAR's) Ben Kennedy's media availability here to try to rationale with the thinking of this. Is that, well Labor Day weekend at Darlington, means a lot. Who gives a f—- about that? I don't get it!"
It's no secret Hamlin likes to share his opinion, and it doesn't look as if he is going to be quiet with his concerns about the 2024 NASCAR schedule any time soon.
