Denny Hamlin expressed sharp criticism of the Denny Hamlin NASCAR tournament criticism following his surprising elimination in the opening round of NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway. The top-seeded driver crashed and lost his match to Ty Dillon, drawing attention to the tournament’s controversial setup and timing.
Early Shocks Shake Up NASCAR’s New Tournament Format
The first NASCAR In-Season Challenge featured a field of 32 drivers competing in a knockout bracket for a $1 million prize. The event began with Chase Elliott claiming victory in an intense race, while several favorites, including Hamlin as the No. 1 seed, faced early elimination. Hamlin’s crash before finishing led to an unexpected upset by Ty Dillon. Notably, all the top seeds from each quadrant were eliminated right from the start, disrupting expectations and raising concerns about the format’s fairness and entertainment value.
Hamlin Voices Concerns About Tournament Structure and Venue Choice
Before the competition began, Hamlin had already flagged potential problems with NASCAR’s seeding and choice of Atlanta Motor Speedway for the tournament’s kickoff. On his Actions Detrimentals podcast, the 44-year-old driver questioned putting the first round on a high-speed track, which he felt increased unpredictability in a way that damages the quality of the bracket.
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.
—Denny Hamlin, NASCAR driver
Hamlin pointed out that, aside from Elliott, none of the drivers advancing past the first round had recorded a race win this season, suggesting that too many upsets reduce fan investment in the tournament’s later stages. Comparing the tournament to college basketball’s March Madness, he warned that losing too many top drivers early diminishes viewer interest in subsequent rounds.
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.
—Denny Hamlin, NASCAR driver
Hamlin Calls for Changes While Accepting His Defeat Gracefully
Recognizing that NASCAR cannot script race outcomes to favor certain drivers, Hamlin emphasized the need for a more suitable opening venue to reduce early upsets. He made a clear recommendation against returning to Atlanta Motor Speedway for future first rounds, suggesting a different track might better balance competition and entertainment.
This isn’t WWE, so you can’t just write a script,
Hamlin explained.
But I’m saying, it’s probably not a good idea next year to start this thing at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
—Denny Hamlin, NASCAR driver
After his victory, Ty Dillon echoed a famous phrase associated with Hamlin to celebrate the upset, telling fans he had
just knocked your favorite driver out.
Despite this rivalry moment, Hamlin took the loss with good humor and praised Dillon’s trash-talking spirit.
Give him his moment, people, Hamlin said. He beat me.
Next Steps in the High-Stakes NASCAR Tournament
The tournament will resume with its second round during Sunday’s Chicago Street Race, where the remaining drivers will battle to advance further. NASCAR officials and participants alike will be watching closely to see if any structural adjustments are made in response to the early turbulence, as well as how fan engagement evolves after the dramatic opening round.