Denny Hamlin Calls Out NASCAR’s “Knee-Jerk” Schedule Change for 2027

What’s Happening?

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin thinks NASCAR’s move to put Watkins Glen International in the 2027 Chase schedule was a “knee-jerk reaction” to backlash following a cold, wet, and muddy 2026 spring race weekend at the track.

This past weekend, NASCAR had an “I told you so” social media firestorm on their hands as NASCAR fans on site for the race weekend at Watkins Glen International shared their battles with the elements.

This frustration echoed back to late last season, when NASCAR announced that the track would shift away from its traditional fall race date to a May race weekend.

Historically, The Glen had never hosted a spring weekend, something the track had never had, and many fans warned that the track was not suited for a spring race, due to the poor weather.

Aside from the nearly perfect race-time conditions this weekend, the fans were mostly right, with campers, cars, and even drivers’ rental cars stuck in fields of mud at the track.

With many calling for NASCAR to move the race back to the fall, before the races even kicked off last weekend, officials offered the track and its fans one better: the chance to host its second-ever chase race in September 2027.

While this was praised by a majority of fans and some industry members, one who does not agree with the move is Cup Series team co-owner and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin.

On the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin called the move a “knee-jerk reaction” to the backlash from fans at the track and at home.

Hamlin says that in his eyes, attendance was fine this weekend, and sarcastically noted that the weather always fluctuates, and it very well could be raining at the track in September 2027.

“It’s a knee-jerk reaction to appease; they knew that they were likely gonna get some flak for this weekend. I actually thought the crowd was okay, I did, I thought that the fans that were there were very enthusiastic. I didn’t notice a big difference in the midway of fans, It was some, but not like a huge difference. Weather on Sunday was okay, it was rainy, it could be rainy in September too, by the way, folks.” — Denny Hamlin

“It’s Gonna Be a Stinker”

Hamlin continued by saying that he agrees the race didn’t need to be this early on in the schedule, though his issue is not with the change of month, but rather the change of the race’s status to a Chase race.

The 23XI Racing co-owner says that some team owners in the garage were lobbying for the addition of a road course to the Chase with the recent cancellation of the Charlotte Roval race.

“I know that there were some team owners that felt like ‘Well, we got to have a road course in the Chase, to crown the champion, that’s a fair way to do it,” Hamlin said.

While he did not name names, Hamlin later mentioned that this owner, who wanted a road course in the Chase, had a “historically bad day” at the Glen. Something fans online picked up to hint that the executive in question was with Hendrick Motorsports, whose four Chevrolets all failed to score a top 20 finish.

Still, Hamlin seems to take issue not with the Glen, but rather a current product road course race taking place during the Chase.

“It is what it is. . . We just have to know that we got one of our Chase races, it’s gonna be a stinker,” Hamlin said.

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