The Daytona 500 proved winning races on superspeedways has become a matter of pure luck today. It was a crash in the race’s final lap that put William Byron in Victory Lane when it seemed like he was destined to finish outside the top five. It is not right to accept such cases as inevitable on superspeedways, said Denny Hamlin, before explaining why.
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The veteran wants to see NASCAR do something different to take out luck as a factor that decides the results on superspeedways.
“What’s happening is now our prestigious events are just all luck-based, and I’m sorry you will not reach legitimacy in sports that way,” said Hamlin on his podcast. His sentiment was echoed by many fans on social media after the race.
There was a time when skill was all that mattered to win in Daytona, Talladega, and other such fast venues. It was a time when the audience could expect a star to be born in each race. But those days are a thing of the past. Instead of star power, NASCAR glorifies the unexpected wrecks and shallow action to reel viewers in. A narcissistic complex, many would agree.
“NASCAR social posts — 20 times — Dale Earnhardt’s victories back in the day or Dale Junior’s. You knew that was the best driver and the best team on that day. You saw them be surgical, and you knew they were just better than everyone else,” Hamlin elaborated.
The three-time Daytona 500 winner believes racing itself becomes shallow when luck becomes a big factor in race outcomes. “How do you create stars when luck is such a big factor? You don’t. Stars are created on the racetrack by showing greatness. I just think that it’s so watered down,” he said.
Hamlin lamented that it won’t be Byron’s winning move in the spotlight now, but the multiple wrecks that got him the victory.
Hamlin’s suggestion to improve racing on superspeedways
At the end of the day, what NASCAR wants to do is provide entertainment for its fans. The current approach does that to an extent. It will be forced to change its ways only when the larger crowd puts more emphasis on quality racing, points out Hamlin. But what are the ways in which a better racing product can be created?
Hamlin suggested that the drag on the Next Gen cars needs to be reduced. He asked for the spoiler size to be brought down and the horsepower to be taken back to previous levels. He noted that such changes would allow drivers to pull out of lines when they want to make moves and not have them stuck to the track in the same position.
Every race is a lesson. The Daytona 500 showcased many flaws that still exist in the current superspeedway racing model. Hopefully, attempts will be made to fix them in the near future.
