Denny Hamlin Criticizes NASCAR Over Recurring Caution Issue – ‘We Need Better Standards…
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener in Atlanta was disrupted by a sixth caution flag when a dislodged Walmart sign fell onto the track. The incident forced an unexpected pit stop and a crucial restart with just 11 laps remaining, altering the race’s outcome.
Veteran driver Denny Hamlin didn’t hold back in his criticism, expressing his frustration during his “Actions Detrimental” podcast on Monday. Hamlin compared this situation to a similar incident at the Charlotte Roval, saying:
“It’s not ideal. We saw this at the [Charlotte] Roval a few years back when a caution was called for a sign falling down. I really wish we had better standards for these things.
“I think I saw a video of them sliding this sign into some kind of contraption, but was it anchored afterward? We don’t know. The cars cause a lot of air movement, and things get displaced. It’s unfortunate. You don’t want something like this on your court, causing a crucial timeout. But it happened, and it’s just become more accepted that we have these freak accidents in NASCAR.”
Jeff Gluck from The Athletic agreed with Hamlin on “The Teardown” podcast, stating:
“What frustrates me is that in a playoff system where everything comes down to these short three-race mini-series and one-race championships, the track itself needs to be perfect.
“You can’t have signs falling onto the track, especially when it’s the second time in three years. Back in 2022 at The Roval, a similar incident changed the outcome of the playoffs. If you’re putting signage near high-speed race cars, you better make sure it’s secured. NASCAR can’t let things like this affect the playoffs.”
Despite the incident, Joey Logano won the race and advanced to the Round of 12 in the playoffs.
