Denny Hamlin Sees “All Positives” From NASCAR In-Season Tournament, Explains Difference From His Original Idea

It’s no secret that fans can lose a bit of interest in the regular Cup Series season after a point in time. To combat that, NASCAR has introduced an in-season tournament in 2025. The idea originally belonged to Denny Hamlin, who did something similar for a few drivers last season. Now, things are more official and the Joe Gibbs Racing star is excited about the prospect of it all.

“I think it certainly has got all positives. I don’t think of anything negative that can go along with it. Certainly, you’re gonna have some storylines and we know this thing is gonna come down to someone at the very end of the race battling for an irrelevant position, what we think is an irrelevant position, but it will move someone on so I think that’s all positives,” the 43-year-old said.

It’s not just exciting for the drivers who will have a chance to win a million dollars if they manage to come out on top of the competition but fans will have something to look forward to as well. Hamlin believes that the in-season tournament may be a way to make casual fans stay and watch the product and not just tune in for the starting few races of the season and the playoffs.

The idea may have belonged to Denny Hamlin but NASCAR  has added some of its flavor to the competition now that it’s official. The JGR star, however, believes that not much will change.

Denny Hamlin explains what NASCAR might do differently

Fans do not know what the original rules of this in-season tournament were when Hamlin started it in a casual manner. Judging by his recent comments, NASCAR has respected his efforts and kept most of the competition the same. The difference will be how the racers are seeded after the first three races that will be aired by Prime Video next season.

“It’s the same, I think it seeds them a little different but same amount of time, same drivers. I don’t know how they’re gonna seed us in the three races that they’re gonna use so, finish points or something like that, not really sure but certainly it doesn’t matter because you’re gonna have to be really good throughout those five weeks to win,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver added.

The competition adds a new layer to the sport that’s never been seen before and it has an element of intrigue. It’ll be interesting to see how well it is received by the fans in 2025.