![\"Denny](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2271969052-e1776813117233.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway on April 18, 2026, in Kansas City, Kansas.<\/p>\n
Denny Hamlin isn\u2019t holding back.<\/p>\n
After another frustrating finish at Kansas Speedway, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran<\/a> has stepped directly into one of NASCAR\u2019s<\/a> most polarizing debates \u2014 and made it clear where he stands on overtime.<\/p>\n Hamlin led 131 laps in Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas<\/a>, controlling the event deep into the final stage before a late caution reset the field and forced an overtime restart. He ultimately faded to a fourth-place finish, another near-miss in a season already filled with them.<\/p>\n It also added to a growing and frustrating trend. As highlighted following the race, it marked the sixth time since 2023 that Hamlin has lost a race he would have won at the scheduled distance.<\/p>\n And now, he\u2019s saying exactly what he thinks about it.<\/p>\n Hamlin Questions the Integrity of Overtime<\/p>\n Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast<\/a>, Hamlin didn\u2019t soften his stance when addressing NASCAR\u2019s overtime format<\/a>, which extends races beyond their scheduled distance to ensure a green-flag finish.<\/p>\n \u201cFor God\u2019s sakes, if there\u2019s one person that doesn\u2019t like it, it\u2019s me,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cWe did it for the sake of entertainment decades ago, it feels like. I don\u2019t know. I think it\u2019s part of our sport now. It\u2019s tough to go back on that, but I\u2019d have a hell of a lot more wins and definitely a championship or so.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not just frustration \u2014 it\u2019s perspective from a driver who has consistently put himself in position to win, only to see outcomes shift in the closing moments.<\/p>\n Hamlin, still chasing his first Cup Series championship, is pointing directly at what he believes are lost opportunities created by a format built around late-race drama.<\/p>\n \u2018There\u2019s an Advertised Distance\u2019<\/p>\n For Hamlin, the issue goes beyond a single finish.<\/p>\n While overtime has delivered some of the most dramatic endings in modern NASCAR, he argues it comes at the expense of competitive integrity.<\/p>\n \u201cYes is the short answer,\u201d Hamlin said when asked if overtime hurts NASCAR. \u201cBecause this is a 400-mile race. Oh no, it\u2019s a 406-mile race. We\u2019re going to change it up. There\u2019s an advertised distance, then there\u2019s an actual distance.\u201d<\/p>\n That distinction \u2014 between what\u2019s scheduled and what actually plays out \u2014 sits at the center of the debate.<\/p>\n Drivers prepare for a defined race length. Overtime changes that equation, often placing outcomes in the hands of late cautions and restarts rather than long-run performance.<\/p>\n Kansas Adds to Hamlin\u2019s Frustration<\/p>\n Sunday was a textbook example.<\/p>\n Hamlin<\/a> didn\u2019t just run well \u2014 he dominated. His 131 laps led were the most in the field, and he positioned himself exactly where a veteran driver wants to be late in a race: out front, in control, and managing the closing laps.<\/p>\n Then everything changed.<\/p>\n A late caution bunched the field, erased his advantage, and shifted the race into a short sprint where track position, restarts, and chaos matter more than sustained speed.<\/p>\n Instead of celebrating a win, Hamlin was left with another \u201cwhat if.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know, but it\u2019s what it is,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cI try to figure out how to take solace in it, but it\u2019s like, well everyone knew we were fast. I guess that\u2019s great. We scored lots of points. That\u2019s cool. But it\u2019s the wins that matter to me. It\u2019s putting another trophy on the table out there by the front door. Really getting on my (expletive) nerves that we\u2019re not doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n A Debate That Isn\u2019t Going Away<\/p>\n NASCAR\u2019s overtime format was designed to avoid races ending under caution \u2014 a change widely embraced by fans who want to see finishes decided under green.<\/p>\n But as more races hinge on late restarts, the pushback from drivers has only grown louder.<\/p>\n Hamlin isn\u2019t the only one who feels this way.<\/p>\n He\u2019s just the one saying it out loud<\/a> \u2014 and after Kansas, it\u2019s getting harder to ignore.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMaggie MacKenzie<\/a> Maggie MacKenzie covers NASCAR for Heavy.com. She previously worked for NASCAR.com, where she reported, wrote, and edited race-weekend coverage and traveled to key events throughout the season. She has more than ten years of experience in sports media and is based in Boston, Massachusetts. More about Maggie MacKenzie<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota, looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":620023,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-620022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=620022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/620022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/620023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=620022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=620022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=620022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}