Denny Hamlin Deemed the Only Exception in NASCAR Post Danica Patrick’s Worrying Observations

There was a time when NASCAR used to be one of the most popular sports in the country. But with time, things seemed to have been in a downward spiral, with drivers becoming less and less relatable. A lot of the problems surfaced after looking at the sudden boom of Formula 1 in the United States over the past couple of years. And despite marketing efforts on NASCAR’s part, the sport just does not seem to attract the same number of eyeballs as compared to Formula 1 with each passing year.

Something surely isn’t working, right?

Well, after former NASCAR and IndyCar driver, Danica Patrick commented regarding the diminishing marketability of NASCAR drivers, a veteran of the sport, Kenny Wallace, spoke up and shared his thoughts regarding the matter. Wallace also explained how Denny Hamlin had become the only exception to the worrying problem at hand.

NASCAR Veteran says NASCAR does not want their drivers to be Denny Hamlin

Wallace mentioned, “The drivers nowadays they have to have their sponsor jack them up, and then it’s also the sponsor’s fault because then everybody is there neutered. They are scared to death to say anything, don’t say that because we want 100% of their business.”

Adding, “So here’s what happens, the sponsors they don’t want you being Denny Hamlin. But look at Denny Hamlin now he’s testing the waters. He’s got Actions Detrimental, he’s talking a bunch of sh*t.”

“I mean, he talks about NASCAR all the time. He says we are driving these Lamborghini’s, NASCAR kind of went, ‘He’s talking shit about us but yet it is good for the sport.’ Somebody’s gotta step up and start entertaining people right? Because all the drivers are neutered…”

Wallace then explained how he knew drivers who would not say anything against the sport since it was the safer thing to do. He added, “When you don’t say nothing you don’t sell nothing. You don’t say nothing everything becomes boring.” 

Wallace believes sponsors are killing the sport

Moving forward, he mentioned how back in the day drivers like him and Dale Earnhardt Sr. would not be afraid to run their mouths and say what was on their minds. But now, with the pressure from the sponsors, drivers have become more fearful of what they say.

Hence, Wallace argues that the sponsors are in a way killing the sport. The former driver further brought in the point of how Hamlin has carved a name for himself with his podcast and still holds some of the biggest sponsors in the sport.

Lastly, he agreed with what Patrick had initially commented regarding NASCAR and said, “Danica is right, these NASCAR drivers better step up. They better start talking a little shit… Because if they don’t nobody is going to know who they are…”

What did Danica Patrick say about NASCAR?

As reported by journalist Adam Stern over social media, Partick mentioned, “There was a time when Formula One wasn’t really a blip on the radar here in the States and NASCAR drivers were everything. A lot of that correlates with, yes, the product, but also the marketability of the drivers.”

There have been several debates that have sparked since the growth of Formula 1 has been on a significant upward trajectory. Especially when looking at NASCAR in comparison to F1. Just a while back, NASCAR drivers used to be the talk of the town.

Now the narrative seems to have been changed, it is Formula 1 which has grown to three races in the States and has all the eyeballs looking forward to its races and the big name drivers such as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc among several others.

So to conclude and considering both Patrick and Wallace’s comments, it might be high time for NASCAR to reconsider what went wrong with their marketing efforts and re-strategize a plan of action to improve the marketability of the drivers. If not anything, they at least reduce the reliance on the sponsors, who, according to Wallace, are seemingly killing the sport.