The current “driver mentality,” and Denny Hamlin in particular, has come under fire from Dale Earnhardt Jr. for failing to take revenge during the 2025 NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. After a minor altercation, Earnhardt chastised Hamlin’s strategy for lacking the aggression to pass Chase Elliott, expressing his worries about the change in racing psychology that prioritizes clean racing over exercising the “killer instinct” in pivotal situations. With 3.08 million viewers, the season’s first race, the NASCAR Clash at Bowman Gray, attracted a sizable crowd. Due to its history in grassroots racing, which can provide a more authentic racing experience than larger facilities like the LA Coliseum, Dale Jr. had been a fervent supporter of NASCAR’s return to Bowman Gray.
He did, however, express some worries about the possible negative effects of spending too much time at Bowman Gray. Earnhardt criticized Denny Hamlin, who was third in the Clash, for not adopting a more aggressive approach, particularly when Chase Elliott nudged him. Earnhardt Jr. clarified on the ‘Dale Jr Download’ podcast: “I didn’t want Chase to get spun out, but Chase didn’t get roughed up for the win.”Chase leaned slightly on [Hamlin], and Denny simply threw himself in behind him. Never f***ing touched him, next corner. ‘What are we doing?’ I ask. No one who purchased a f***ing ticket to the location desired that.
“I don’t think there’s much we can do about that. That’s not really anything we can address.Over the past few decades, drivers’ mindsets have changed to focus on more cleaner racing.The size of the tracks we visit and the speed at which we usually drive these cars are probably the causes. They don’t race at tracks as you do at Bowman Gray.There would be a lot more drama and rivalry, as well as a lot more bumping and thumping that would continue into future weekends, if there were more than one Bowman Gray on the calendar. The ratings would be really high.
