Denny Hamlin predicts regular-season finale at Daytona will be a 'crash fest'

There is a lot on the line for a lot of drivers and teams at Daytona. Because of that, it’s going to be an intense race and according to Denny Hamlin, it will likely even have several crashes.

Hamlin went beyond picking a few crashes at the Coke Zero Sugar 400. In fact, he thinks NASCAR is going to have a crash fest on its hands, as he explained on the Actions Detrimental podcast.

“I do think this is going to be an absolute crash fest,” Denny Hamlin said. “I think that the pushes are gonna get too extreme? Anybody know the weather? Travis, check the weather for me at Daytona. This will tell me a lot about a few things.”

This is an important race for Denny Hamlin, who is chasing Martin Lee Truex Jr. However, it’s a long shot to catch him without a wreck.

“I just think that it always is a crash fest when you see the checkered flag fall at the Summer Daytona race. There’s very few cars in the picture. I need to get stage points and I need Martin to probably get caught up in a wreck. I mean, if I get stage points I only need to beat him by…yeah, he needs to get in a wreck.”

Hamlin added that the 19 team is deserving and pointed out that he isn’t wishing a wreck on anyone.

The weather for Daytona is set to be relatively typical weather for Florida in the Summer. It will be hot with a few clouds in the sky. Denny Hamlin explained that Daytona is already a slick track and the weather won’t help that.

“The racetrack at Daytona is significantly slicker in the Summer race…So, what’s gonna happen is the push drafts. People are gonna continue to be pushing harder and harder. We’re gonna be running two by two, and the people fifth and sixth in line who feel like they need to go somewhere, they can’t win the race from there, not in lap one not in 199, whatever the Hell. You can’t win from there, so they’re gonna keep pushing their line until the wrecks happen. Then, they hope to make it though.”

A crash fest would certainly have a massive impact on the end result in Daytona. For now, though, Chase Elliott is the favorite despite running out of fuel last week. In Daytona, he has 11-1 odds, according to Bet MGM.

Denny Hamlin explains the hold-ups facing possible extension with Joe Gibbs Racing

Denny Hamlin has seen his possible extension with Joe Gibbs Racing get held up and he explained why that is getting held up.

“I can’t, I would’ve loved to avoid it, the Hamlin contract talks. I mean, it’s so difficult to explain what’s going on without explaining what’s going on. It’s really kind of, it’s unfortunate it falls just on my shoulders to kind of talk about it here. But you know, I think that there are, basically there’s several contracts that ended, all in the same year,” Hamlin said.

“My driving contract with JGR ended. 23XI’s alliance with JGR is also ending at the end of the year. 23XI’s manufacturer deal is up at the end of this year. So all three of those, well the other two need to get done, before Denny Hamlin the driver, and Joe the owner, can have a signed agreement. Because I have to make sure, while it’s certainly easy to look into the short term and say, ‘He’s offering me good money again. Let’s keep this thing going. I’ve got a great thing going,’ all that. I think I always have to look out for the financial future of the race team. I mean, it’s what I’m going to do well after I’m done racing. We have to get our alliance contract done with Joe Gibbs as well. That’s another thing that has to get done. But it’s all pending on essentially, 23XI.”

Denny Hamlin went on to emphasize that his role as an owner is slowing things down but he remains optimistic a deal will get done.