“I feel bad for Katherine Legge”, said Denny Hamlin after the incident at Phoenix Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran was unhappy that the former IndyCar racer was forced to retire early at the 2025 Shriners Children’s 500 after a Turn 2 incident on Lap 216. For many, competing in the Cup Series is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a chance that was cruelly snatched away from the British racer who was making a one-off appearance. However, her wreck raised some bigger concerns, especially regarding her eligibility for the Open Exception Provisional.
It’s not the first time such issues are being raised. The NASCAR world was divided when the sanctioning body introduced the rule at the start of the season, and Denny Hamlin believes that a stricter process is needed to ensure that not just anyone can walk in and compete at the highest level of motorsports!
Denny Hamlin calls out NASCAR’s misplaced priorities
Denny Hamlin is never afraid of mincing his words. The outspoken racer weighed in on the events that took place at Phoenix Raceway, particularly regarding Katherine Legge’s eligibility to compete in the Cup Series despite not coming from a stock car racing background. The 44-year-old has a wealth of experience in other motorsports disciplines, particularly in IndyCar and the IMSA SportsCar Championship, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to being able to compete in NASCAR. It’s a lesson she was forced to learn the hard way after being forced to retire early.
Sharing his thoughts about NASCAR’s OEP, Denny Hamlin said, “I just think it reeks of desperation.” Believing that it’s just a strategy to attract viewers, the veteran racer told Frontstretch’s Bryan Nolen, “It does, you know, open eyes, and it should open eyes to NASCAR’s like, you know, we’re not very strict in who gets to run the Cup cars. It should be the most elite series, and someone shouldn’t be able to just come in whenever you want, you know.”
Katherine Legge isn’t the only ‘celebrity’ driver to make a one-off appearance this season. IndyCar veteran Helio Castroneves competed in the season-opening Daytona 500 earlier this year, driving the Project 91 car for Trackhouse Racing. Despite his experience and months of preparation leading to the crown-jewel event, his teammate Daniel Suarez recently said, “If you ask me if Helio was 100% ready? I don’t think so.” The 49-year-old failed to qualify for the race but made it through anyway and finished 39th in the standings at Daytona International Speedway.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Practice Feb 12, 2025 Daytona Beach, Florida, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin 11 during practice for the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Daytona Beach Daytona International Speedway Florida USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xMarkxJ.xRebilasx 20250212_mjr_su5_166
Considering that neither driver managed to compete in either of the two races, Denny Hamlin couldn’t help but compare NASCAR’s Open Exceptional Provisional to IndyCar’s process. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “In Indy, there’s a testing process. I don’t think we have a testing process. You just have to enter, right? So it’s just, come one, come all.” Well, this is not the first time Hamlin has voiced his concerns about NASCAR’s ‘Desperate’ moves to garner viewership!
When Helio Castroneves was about to run the Daytona 500, Hamlin broke the situation down on his podcast ‘Action Detrimental’ saying, ““My opinion on this was that it was desperate, I didn’t like it. I just thought that you’re really doing everything you can to try to get a headline and I still believe it to be true. NASCAR is the highest form of motorsports in the US. So why can’t we act like the big boys and say, ‘If you want to come over here and roll with us? Show me what you got! Go qualify in the race.’ It won’t be that hard. To me as a car owner, we just talked about these Playoff scenarios in which things can happen. Things out of your control can happen.” Even if it sounds a bit harsh, it is true. But wait a minute…. Does the lack of a selection process indicate that NASCAR cares more about big names drawing viewership, rather than keeping existing fans happy?
Hamlin’s fortunes are turning around off the track
Lady Luck seems to be on Denny Hamlin’s side. He may not have won the race in Phoenix, but the 44-year-old won a massive $126,000 jackpot in Las Vegas. More importantly, Joe Gibbs Racing recently announced a new primary sponsor for the No. 11 Toyota as well, with ampm, a popular convenience store chain in the West Coast region, partnering with the team for two races. The collaboration will begin at Sonoma Raceway on July 13th and will return for a second appearance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the playoffs.
After FedEx’s departure last year, Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing seem to be struggling to replace the logistics giant with another sponsor. However, ampm’s arrival was welcomed with open arms, with the racer saying, “We’re looking forward to introducing ampm to the motorsports world. It’s exciting to have a first-time partner come on and be able to showcase their business to our fanbase. It’s a great looking paint scheme, and I can’t wait to get it out on the track at Sonoma and Las Vegas later this year.”
This year, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota will feature a variety of brands such as Sport Clips, National Debt Relief, and King’s Hawaiian as primary sponsors, while Yahoo! will also be coming in for a few races. Meanwhile, ampm will also be sponsoring Ty Gibbs for a race in 2026, even though the youngster’s performances have left much to be desired. Things are finally looking good for Hamlin, who hopes to break his winless streak at the upcoming Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
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