Why Denny Hamlin Thinks Atlanta Is Tougher Than Daytona for NASCAR Drivers

Winning a race depends on several factors other than merely having a fast car. If the handling and the balance of the car are not optimum, there is no way a driver can pack speed. On that note, Atlanta Motor Speedway is indeed quite tough to tame. However, is it more difficult than running at restricted plate tracks like Daytona or the infamous Talladega Superspeedway? Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin certainly thinks so.

Hamlin explained, “Not all the cars are just stuck to the racetrack, and it’s strictly air that you’re battling, you’re batting being aero tight behind somebody or being loose when someone’s behind you.”

Atlanta more difficult than Daytona? DH thinks so 🤷‍♂️

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The 3x Daytona 500 winner felt like it was the decreased width of the track that made the handling of the cars so difficult. “This race is more difficult than a Daytona or a Talladega,” admitted the veteran driver.

“This track at Atlanta… the runs are bigger. The actual draft and the superspeedway effect of the draft is more pronounced in Atlanta, 100 percent more than what it is at Talladega and 50 percent more it feels like, than Daytona.”

Tony Stewart would agree with Denny Hamlin

What the fans want the most out of a NASCAR race is the blood-boiling action. However, that could often translate into the drivers battling it out, right on the edge. There was a time when the AMS used to be a driver’s favorite and not a fan favorite. But due to its revamp in 2021, Atlanta Motor Speedway is the exact opposite today.

However, it’s not just the narrowness of the track that makes it so challenging for the drivers. The degree of banking has also been increased after the reconfiguration and since then, the nature of racing has become somewhat like that on Daytona and Talladega, but the only catch is that Atlanta is a mile shorter. Hence, everything that happens here is, as said before, twice as fast.

For Tony Stewart, the races at Atlanta Motor Speedway are far more mentally draining than they are physically. He sided with his driver, Chase Briscoe, and explained that the areas where one once got to rest are practically nonexistent now. And it is all due to the tightness of the race. Smoke wasn’t even very confident in his team’s performance at the AMS.

Unfortunately, Stewart’s feelings came true as Briscoe wasn’t able to finish the race and wound up with nothing better than a P31 finish.