Denny Hamlin is one of the most outspoken and polarizing drivers in NASCAR. And with fellow outspoken driver Kevin Harvick retiring after this season, Hamlin’s voice will have more influence. In that case, Hamlin is launching a podcast on Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Dirty Mo Media podcast network.
Titled Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, Hamlin’s podcast will post each Monday during the NASCAR season, starting on February 6, the Monday after the Busch Light Clash at the LA Coliseum. In a press release from Dirty Mo Media, the show “will give listeners an unfiltered, honest and bold perspective from one of NASCAR’s top athletes and businessmen.”
The name is a play on the penalty NASCAR gave to drivers who criticized the sport. Thankfully, NASCAR has given drivers more freedom in recent years to express themselves, even at the expense of NASCAR itself, but there was a time when just about anything critical about NASCAR resulted in a $25,000 fine for “actions detrimental to stock car racing.”
Last season, Hamlin spoke out on a variety of topics. In July, Hamlin called out Ross Chastain for his aggressive driving style that resulted in multiple crashes, including some that collected Hamlin. After Kurt Busch and Alex Bowman suffered concussions due to the stiffness of the “Next Gen” cars, Hamlin slammed NASCAR for not listening to driver concerns, citing “bad leadership” as to how the sport got in this position.
As a team owner, Hamlin has been working behind the scenes with other owners about teams getting a larger piece of the media revenue pie. As of now, 65% goes to race tracks, 25% goes to the teams, and 10% goes to NASCAR. Hamlin, through Michael Jordan’s business advisor at 23XI Racing, has expressed concern about how teams are so sponsorship dependent that the entire financial model for how teams are paid needs to be addressed. The Race Team Alliance hired a consultant to “assess their media value” in the upcoming negotiation.
Hamlin is in a unique spot within the NASCAR world. He’s not the most popular driver but when he speaks out on the various issues facing NASCAR, many fans who may not like him on the track admit he’s making some good points. Not to mention, a longform podcast is a much better platform for Hamlin to express his views on important topics as opposed to Twitter and social media. Add that Hamlin is a driver and a team owner, when combined with his lack of filter, it’s a perspective that should result in fans having a glimpse into the racing and business side of NASCAR.