“We Just Spend So Much Money”: Denny Hamlin Slams Trigger-happy NASCAR’s Inconsistent Decision Making

23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick overcame two late cautions in Michigan to win his second Cup Series race. He is now the points leader and favorite to win the regular season championship. Although this is a matter of great pride for team co-owner Denny Hamlin, he couldn’t help not pointing out how inconsistent NASCAR had been in issuing cautions towards the end of races.

Reddick was in the lead holding a considerable advantage over William Byron in Michigan when Martin Truex Jr. made contact with the wall with four laps to go. It was a slight hit that didn’t cause extensive damage. The yellow flag came out regardless and everyone had to restart. What concerns Hamlin the most about this is NASCAR’s over-eagerness to pull the caution trigger.

“Why are we so quick on that trigger at the end of the race?” he questioned on Actions Detrimental. “He hit the wall, there’s no question about that. I don’t know what his speed went down to but I don’t think he went below 100 miles per hour. He went going at a decent rate of speed. Did it warrant a caution? No. Has it been a caution in other circumstances? Yes.”

He admitted that it was a 50-50 call that could’ve gone either way and continued to note how the yellow flag almost gave the win to Byron. “These things really change the outcome of races,” he added. “We just spend so much money and drivers spend so much time on their craft that they just have it all wiped out in green-white-checkered finishes.” Hamlin himself finished the race in ninth place.

Tyler Reddick’s displeasure with the late-race caution

Reddick emerged as the race leader in the final stage after a midfield crowd that was leading the field went to the pits for tires and fuel. His No. 45 Toyota Camry XSE was fast and agile ahead of the likes of Byron, Ty Gibbs, and Brad Keselowski. Just when it seemed like he would have an easy win with the laps trickling down quickly, Truex Jr. hit the wall and brought the yellow flag out.

The NBC Sports broadcast recorded him expressing his frustration in the car, “Is this a f***ing joke? Come on. It’s bull****. He touched the f***ing wall. There’s some paint on the race track. Good grief.”

Fortunately, he went on to win the race despite momentarily losing the lead to Byron. His next race will be at the Daytona International Speedway this coming weekend.