Denny Hamlin has never been one to hold back his opinions, and after the dramatic finish at the 2025 Daytona 500, he’s making one thing clear—he believes NASCAR is orchestrating chaos for entertainment. In a race that saw wrecks, controversy, and a surprising winner, Hamlin suggests the sport has shifted from competitive racing to a spectacle designed to keep fans talking. And at the center of it all? William Byron’s so-called “lucky” victory.
The Daytona 500 has always been known for its unpredictability, but Hamlin argues that the randomness isn’t natural—it’s encouraged. After leading laps and positioning himself as a potential race winner, Hamlin saw his hopes crushed in a late-race crash involving Cole Custer and Chase Briscoe. Instead of a caution flag being waved, NASCAR let the race play out, allowing Byron—who was running seventh at the time—to sneak through and claim victory.
On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin didn’t hold back, saying, “I think we were really fortunate for William Byron to win that race, truthfully… How do we feel if John Hunter Nemechek was in William Byron’s spot?” The implication? NASCAR got lucky that a marketable, big-name driver won instead of a lesser-known competitor. Hamlin went even further, claiming that Byron’s back-to-back crown jewel victories give the illusion that superspeedway racing isn’t a lottery—even though he believes it is.
But the real controversy comes with Hamlin’s suggestion that NASCAR sponsors and officials actually want the chaos. The sport has seen a rise in aggressive racing, massive crashes, and unpredictable winners in recent years—something that keeps social media buzzing and ratings high. According to Hamlin, this is no accident. He argues that true racing skill has been replaced by a survival game where wrecks, controversy, and last-lap drama dominate.
Looking at recent superspeedway winners, his theory holds weight. Underdogs like Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell have triumphed in major races, while established stars like Kyle Busch and Hamlin himself continue to come up short. And if sponsors are benefiting from the unpredictability, is NASCAR truly a fair competition, or is it becoming a manufactured spectacle?
With Hamlin currently sitting 20th in the driver standings after Daytona, his frustration is understandable. But as he shifts his focus to Atlanta, where the high-banked track offers another chaotic challenge, one question lingers—will NASCAR let the stars shine, or will the chaos continue to rule?
