NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin joined one of the hottest conversations in the NASCAR community, agreeing that lower-level drivers do not belong in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Throughout the week, NASCAR fans, industry members, and drivers have debated whether or not drivers from NASCAR’s lower series, including the NASCAR Modified Tour, Grassroots Racing, Craftsman Truck, and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, belong in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
The question is less about the success of these drivers and more about the level of competition at which they achieved their success.
This argument is nothing new and has been asked in online NASCAR circles for some time.
Still, a discussion on the Dale Jr Download between Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr and co-host Travis Rockhold reignited the occasional debate into a firestorm of back-and-forths between NASCAR community members.
Rockhold believes that drivers do not make the Hall of Fame based on stats from lower divisions, something Earnahrdt pushed back at. But, nonetheless, the co-host held his ground against the Hall of Famer, comparing this to success in the lower division of baseball, “to me, Xfinity (now the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series) is AAA.”
Throughout this week, people from across the NASCAR world chimmed in on this discussion, with those both in support of and against the already pre-established criteria to make the Hall of Fame.
Among these was NASCAR driver and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series winner Kenny Wallace, who, during his latest episode of Coffee With Kenny, gave his support towards stricter guidelines for Hall of Fame voting.
Wallace said during his video that OAP wins are “20-1” to Cup Series wins, asking if these drivers should be in the same Hall of Fame as Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt, responding to his own question saying “No way in hell.”
But thanks to Wallace’s video, Rockhold got another valuable supporter on his side, his Actions Detrimental podcast co-host and future NASCAR Hall of Famer, Denny Hamlin.
Though Hamlin did not offer an in-depth take on the debate, he gave a quick and straightforward answer on X, responding to Wallace’s video, tagging Rockhold and saying:
“I’ll join you in this take.” — Denny Hamlin via X
Of course, as with anything said by Hamlin, there were many who pushed back, including FOX Sports NASCAR analyst Mamba Smith, who responded, “You guys really don’t think Ron Hornaday Jr. and Richie Evans should be in the Hall of Fame?”
Even as the week has gone by, this topic will likely extend into next month, as it has pushed the buttons of many NASCAR community members.
One side continues to point out that NASCAR is an unpredictable sport, where drivers may have less of a chance to achieve at the Cup Series level, despite their talent, due to factors like exposure and sponsorship.
Within this back-and-forth, those pushing back at allowing lower-level drivers into the Hall of Fame are not necessarily saying that these drivers shouldn’t be recognized in some way, with some suggesting a separate designation within the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Of course, as of 2026, many drivers who may not have won or had legacy building success in the Cup Series are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. These include names like Ray Hendrick, Red Farmer, Ron Hornaday Jr, Jack Ingram, Mike Stefanik, and Richie Evans.
Together, this group has over 1,000 wins in modifieds, four Truck Series championships, and five O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championships, but not a single Cup Series win.
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