“Just Gonna Be Really Hard”: Denny Hamlin on the Most Common Mistake NASCAR Drivers Make and How to Prevent It

Recently, Legacy Motor Club announced the joining of John Hunter Nemechek as the full-time driver of the #42 from the 2024 season, replacing the suspended Noah Gragson. Nemechek’s return to the Cup Series, after a disappointing 2020 season, was hailed by Denny Hamlin, who had some advice for young drivers who wanted to make the jump to a higher series. The JGR driver believes that oftentimes, drivers try to jump into the Cup Series too quickly, leading to more harm than good, and ruining their chances in the long term.

On this week’s episode of Actions Detrimental, the driver-owner spoke at length about Nemechek moving from the Cup Series back to the Trucks and Xfinity Series and how other drivers can take notes from him.

Denny Hamlin is not a big fan of drivers making the jump when not ready

Talking about the general mindset of a driver in the Truck and Xfinity Series, Hamlin expressed, “I think a lot of drivers get caught up in ‘Oh I’ve got to race on Sundays’, and you know, my advice to drivers that maybe they are struggling in whatever division they are in is that winning at a lower division far exceeds being invisible in a higher series.”

Citing Legacy Motor Club’s latest announcement, Hamlin said that Nemechek moving down from the Cup Series, where he raced against the best stock car drivers in the world, provided an opportunity for him to improve himself as a driver. This is where the 23XI owner warned future drivers against making rash decisions that could set them back in their careers.

“Certainly my advice when you are trying to make it up the ranks is make sure you are succeeding regularly at the level you are at before you start taking a jump.”

“It’s just gonna be really hard for people to be able to see your abilities if your car is inferior, right. So then taking a step down and being in a more competitive ride is in my mind the better way to continue to advance and impress those who might be looking.”

Hamlin on why drivers should not accept Cup Series deals too quickly

Believing that winning on a Friday or a Saturday and managing to stay in the headlines is better for a driver than being in a weak car on Sunday, Hamlin also had a word of caution for drivers when they are offered Cup deals knowing they are not ready.

“That’s what I’m saying – don’t do that. I know it’s very hard, there’s only 36 spots. You kind of got to know what the landscape is, free-agency, when are key rides gonna be available, knowing when drivers’ contracts are gonna be done, all those are big factors certainly in any decision you might make.”

Valid point here. While making it big at the highest level of stock car racing in America does require a great amount of luck, one needs to be careful when taking contract decisions, considering the best opportunity might just be waiting around the corner.