Denny Hamlin rips Daytona ARCA race amid wreck-heavy start

Carnage has been the name of the game during the ARCA Menards Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday afternoon, and it’s caught the attention of Denny Hamlin for all the wrong reasons.

Wreck after wreck has plagued the Ride the ‘Dente 200, and Hamlin isn’t exactly happy with the racing. FOX is broadcasting the ARCA race on their flagship station, and the NASCAR Cup Series veteran is worried casual viewers will confuse Saturday’s crash-fest as the real thing ahead of the Daytona 500.

It’s worried Hamlin enough for him to make a comment about it on social media. The Cup Series doesn’t always feature perfect racing at super-speedways like Daytona, but this one is on a whole different level, according to the veteran wheelman.

Wonder if the casuals at home watching Fox right now are thinking that this is NASCAR. Yikes.

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 15, 2025

“Wonder if the casuals at home watching Fox right now are thinking that this is NASCAR. Yikes,” Hamlin posted on X, as the Ride the ‘Dente 200 went through a calamity of errors.

All told, Daytona International Speedway hoped the ARCA race could serve as a fascinating prelude to the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, with everything leading up to an exciting Daytona 500 for the Cup Series on Sunday. Hamlin and FOX are certainly hoping the way the Ride the ‘Dente 200 went won’t turn casual viewers away from tuning in.

Regardless, Hamlin has bigger fish to fry at the moment anyway. He has a new crew chief and a fresh sponsor this season. Looking ahead to the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a believer in the No. 11 team, think they’ll be looking to prove they’re still the same, competitive bunch.

“You got Denny trying to get back to the championship, with a new crew chief there,” Earnhardt Jr. prefaced regarding Hamlin, via the latest episode of The Dale Jr. Download. “They come out of the box competitive at The Clash. I think that there is a motivation around Joe Gibbs Racing and Denny’s car to prove that they’re not going to fall off. 

“… I believe that Joe Gibbs Racing, that organization and the moves that they’ve made — they are going to make sure that there’s not a door open, or an opportunity for people to criticize the change. They’re going to make sure that Denny goes to the racetrack and that he’s competitive.”

While Hamlin won three races and accumulated 13 top-five finishes in 2024, his performance tapered off throughout the year. Some have attributed it to the ongoing lawsuit involving his 23XI race team, a myriad of injuries he’s been dealing with, points penalties, or just his age catching up to him, but Hamlin isn’t making any excuses.

He’s still a three-time winner of the Daytona 500, and some drivers would trade one of their championships for a Harley J. Earl Trophy, so there’s that. If Hamlin wins The Great American Race again this weekend, it’ll signal to the rest of the field that he’s just as fired up for 2025 as he’s ever been for racing, and he’s ready to compete for a title this season.