Has NASCAR Become More About the Show Than the Sport?

This is why I got into NASCAR racing I spent decades learning how to do this and watching the best and studying it and understanding it and I'm going to get rewarded for this and then you know we we all crash at the end like that has become normal in the Daytona 500 that's what then kills my enthusiasm for this whole thing the following is a production of Dirty Mo media hey guys welcome to actions Detrimental I'm Denny Hamlin driver the number 11 wrecked national debt relief Toyota for Jo gib's racing Jared I'm just red vest

311 no you're not just red vest 311 I I called it I called it last week one of Jared's guys wins yeah you not on the victory tour I I will be in uh six hours oh yeah you got to go to New York or something yep I'm happy for you no you're Not not in the least little bit but I'm here Travis you said I wouldn't be here and I'm here Travis I appreciate the you know the work you put in to prepare me for these episodes and by the way Dirty Mo I I'm

goingon to need to get Travis a a camera okay he's he's becoming more and more of a vocal part of this podcast he needs his own camera um but I I just feel Like Off Script is how this is going to go today that's F AB you know what I mean like I we got the things we need to chat about um but I I just this is one of these mornings where I woke up full Clint Eastwood get off my lawn so you text us I'm just so [Music] angry I mean just I woke

up pissed yeah and it's about Everything and it's like now I know why drivers retire like I just I I have that feeling like I just I'm like I'm tired of this um when did you get mad and and and there's just a big picture to this um but I don't know I just uh um I wasn't mad in the moment right if I was really mad in the moment when I talked to Cole on Pit Road I would have you know gave it to him but you know I asked the question saying hey why'd

you Turn left down the straightway like um and he's like you know he said what he said uh in his interviews that I don't know I haven't seen it um and whatnot um but you know I I just feel as though I think today is going to be seen as sour grapes but yeah it is because I worked like I don't know I work so hard to work on my craft um at all types of racetracks and I Spent so many years growing up you know trying to get better and you know how can I

get better in this area that area learn from some of the best um you know I I was very fortunate early in my career to be blessed being on the racetrack with Dale Jr and Tony Stewart Jeff Gordon some of just the best super speedway Racers you could imagine I just watched them thinking wow like I'll never beat these guys in a race like their IQ on a super speedway was just Off the charts and and as a young guy I was watching them thinking there's just I've got so much to learn to to be

competitive on these types of tracks um but it's times have changed and and I find myself in this position where it's like you know are we now start going to start viewing the Daytona 500 winners like like we question our Champions like it it's it's just all it's a bunch of Questions now like yeah but it's always the yeah but and I and I hate that for the winners because you know this is their big moment to shine and and you know it's a big accomplishment but I hate the fact of how much luck is

involved in NASCAR now I I used to hate the word luck because it's like and and it was so overused in our sport for decades um before the nextg came along people would talk about Oh luck and they still do on a NASCAR media overuses the word luck so much they always have and it's like no no you H you got to put yourself in the position to not not capitalize on others Misfortune that's luck like you needed them to have Misfortune for you to win that is luck but it's making the moves at the

end of the race to win and it's that wow that you know that guy just did something that it's hard to do it's um it shows That he's better than the rest of them and we just I feel like we've lost that it's just a matter of wrecks and at Super Speedways and I feel like the Daytona 500 is a microcosm of our just the sport in general when it comes to how we Crown our champion now as well like it's just a it's it's and this started with the competition group group a decade ago

when we started cutting horsepower cut because we want it to look good on TV we Wanted you to think that they can pass but not not that they can actually pass and and it just for me has gotten to the place where in my feelings and I know this because I've been part of the sport for over 20 years now enter the the entertainment of it has far overtaken the sport of it and I don't know how we reverse things um you will hear all week all week from media that's just Super speedway racing and

all that is is a copout for those who make stupid moves it's no one holds anyone accountable anymore it's just you chalk it up to ah well it happens all the time how about we actually call out what what it is right are the cars making us do this are the drivers doing this like it's a combination of both I believe but I just I'm losing my love of just the sport of it because I feel Like it's I feel like it's going by the wayside for the sake of entertainment and it's I don't think

anyone built this car for Super Speedway entertainment but I I tried to explain to you on the on the plane yesterday you know was it you or my mom say well how do we get here it was me that the last six have ended last six yeah 500s have ended in a in a you know major record question where do I start okay it starts by over time you know we've we used to Run 200 miles an hour at at Super Speedways and the cars were hard to really drive and handle and like Daytona 500

was a battle of the best driver Who and the best team that bought the brought the best car that had a great setup under it and and some of the greats of our sport could navigate the traffic and and use it to their advantage and and it just that art is gone now just like the art of passing on short tracks is gone now now we just Knock each other out of the way and say that's just short track RAC like we've just we gota we got to get this thing back we don't have to

I mean I'll be gone shortly and we you know this can just continue down this road yeah but you're still going to be owning a team so it's still going I know but that's what UPS that's what upsets me as well right I I spend so much money at 20 311 do ensure my team and my drivers have the best cars Available to go out there and compete for a win but it's just such a crapshoot now and it's I hate that what is supposed to be our more most prestigious race a a Showcase of

Heroes the Super Bowl they call it is luck it is luck and I don't care how else you want to say it it is luck you know and it and it's luck because you have to and you just have to avoid the wrecks and then if you can get Lucky enough to where you avoid the wreck and then the the the track stays green and you get to race back like it it's just I I don't know anymore I don't know anymore and I just I've become I've grown really really agitated with where we' how

we've gotten here and and I to go back to where I said about we used to run 200 right and so the cars were hard to handle um tires wore out and so it was just such a big factor that's why you Saw the cars you know let's just say in the 2000 2010s we would give each other more space because we our cars were always out of control and so we were just trying to keep them on track ourselves right then we had a few incidents of cars flipping the outrage we got to we

got to keep the cars on the ground can't have them flipping so we're going to keep slowing them down and we're going to keep slowing them down and now we're Running like 75 180 at these tracks still can't keep them on ground still but so now they've slowed us down so much to where every car is just planted to the ground which is why we we are going down the straightaway just absolutely Ram roding each other from behind so it it's a product of the cars are way too easy to drive uh they have way

too much grip way too much drag um and it and what it does is it creates A great optic on TV that these cars are 2x two 3x3 but ain't nobody passing nobody we're out there just riding saving fuel for the greater part of the race but NASCAR fixed it they did throw a nice you know fuel mileage caution there with about 40 to go to make sure everyone can make it um I don't know it just it's we definitely should address it I've said on this show now for years Let's not ignore that we

have a super speedway issue and for my mental health for my physical health like I just really want us to address Super Speedway racing um I'm nearly done with my opening dialogue but it's we've just entertainment has taken over and I mean what is what does William Byron say when they ask him on Kelly like how did you do This uh just was he avoided two of the three big wrecks I I didn't get wrecked that's not what you want to hear you want to hear my team brought an amazing car we had great strategy

and at the end I made the move to win the race two3 coming off turn four I made the move and I I can't believe it worked out and you know but it just is it's just not it's not fair to William it's not fair to the 24 team um it's all going to count the same To them in the in the record books the record books going to show you went back to back won the race and in years past 5 10 years from now no nobody will remember is it two-thirds of what you

just said those still true is that the team needs to bring a good car and there has to be some strategy to to be in yeah you got to make the race but besides that you're saying it's not there's everyone's bringing a good car for the most part everyone's Bringing a good car they're all they're all the same they're all yeah the the top 30 fastest cars yeah it's all fine it's just you know at that point I just why has it become expected that we're all going to just take each other out because apparently

it's acceptable to just say well it's the Dayton of 500 that's correct that's correct because you won't hear any media holding anyone accountable for making ridiculous Moves that that that that when they say I was just going for it yeah but you you made a wrong move that's you went for it and took out the field um I it's just we don't we don't hold anyone accountable and and and so we just chalk it up to H that's what we expect because happens year after year after year and it's the thing is is it's getting

out of like we keep trending in this direction like That we keep heading more and more in the luck the the winner is lucky our champion is lucky like that is not good for being legitimate in the sports landscape you you've been on Plenty of you've been on the end of plenty of misfortunate endings over the last handful of years certainly since we've had this podcast but never before have you texted Travis night at 4:02 a.m. after we got home at Midnight by the way and just said can't sleep need an extra hour see yall

an hour later for this taping so you were up all last night thinking about what you just said I'm assuming I mean yes yes and no um again I wasn't crazy upset um I went back and watched the race and I just I digested it I I try not to get too emotional quickly like I Do sometimes I definitely overreact um in the moment sometimes but you know I I tried to be calculated in my post race like let me try to give the benefit of the doubt to Cole here and the 41 te like

I get it that what you're trying to do but let me try to give you some healthy advice from someone that has done this for 20 years you're not going to win it by door slamming on the backstretch if you want a door slam Let's do it coming to the line if you want to spin us out com to the line like that's the time to do it but you always have to live to see the final corner and that's what I don't understand when I heard you know I Cole I have nothing against Cole

whatsoever but like when he was doing his interview with Bob and he was like chucking it up and laughing like it just cused two of the last major big wrecks of the 500 he Was like it's just going for it I'm like you don't have to with when you're pushing the 20 car there that was not a dire situation you're in a great spot to push the 20 clear you get clear Race For the Win there's plenty of time left but some of these guys just get so decided that they think that they they have

to make a move now and we have to I got to run into you right now there is no tomorrow well were you ever there 2009 2010 were you in that mind space When you had not 20 years of experience um I'm trying to think on super Speedways I was more on the side not NE in super Speedways in big moments right Daytona 500 you're only a handful of years into your career you're in this moment where it could change your life your team season back then races didn't play out like this so it seems

like those that are participating in in it would Understand and see the results every time you choose to make contact you know what the end result is going to be like I that's what I don't understand it's why in my opinion right now one of the greatest Super Speedway drivers we got is Austin syndric when I go to the outside him he doesn't try to block he knows what the result of that is going to be he wants to live to race It off of four and he knows if he if I get beside him

his R it's not over it's not over so let's let's let's play this thing out we got a mile or more to go in this race it's okay it's okay we can be three wide let's see who gets the biggest push here like that's why we had a fantastic finish at Atlanta everyone's making such a big deal about Atlanta three ra three wide Racing for Le did those guys touch each other no they they Raced it out to the to the finish and we saw fantastic finishes and it's hailed as one of the greatest races

ever because we had a you know a three-wide close finish we're I just don't think we're ever going to see that in Tona again because the drivers just lose their minds and they just don't just don't understand that you know and this goes for the 47 and 22 like what are you doing it's it's 15 to go I I don't understand and I was Watching the these guys that that wreck happened five laps beforehand I saw these guys weaving back and forth cutting off lines that are coming 10 m hour faster than them and it's

like what do you think is going to happen you're going to get wrecked every time like that and it's it's it just takes the sport out of it in my mind because and it's and it's on us it's the drivers we're the ones making these horrible decisions but the car is our cart to Acting this way because they're so planted to the ground we're running so slow now that we feel like we're just goingon to the be best way is just to run into each other hopefully you can knock that guy forward but you drivers

are selfish right aren't you thinking well if this move behind me isn't is going to keep me from winning the race well then I might as well end up wrecked like I'm going to lose regardless that's what you're thinking in the moment Repeat what you just said I said aren't you drivers selfish and that if you feel that a move or a run coming from behind you is going to pass you or keep you from winning the race well then there's no difference in you because you never know what can happen it's it's but it

seems like that's what's lost among a lot of drivers in this race I was I was third coming off the final Corner when Newman And blay remember I it's they came with a run I didn't block it I'm like if I if I try to block this we just all end up wrecked I'm going to either either hope to connect to the 12 this is back in 2020 I'm either hoping I'm connecting to the 12 we get a run on the six or maybe those guys wreck that's that's another Avenue for me to win but

but thinking that you just initiate contact and that's going to win you the Race it's 0% is the moment just too big for some drivers yeah do you think this lack of experience for Cole I don't know I mean this happened so quickly it's why I didn't like really throw Cole under the bus but I I'm a little agitated because he did I mean he wrecked a 20 too in all those cars so like that's two in a row and so is the moment too big probably probably but you know they they find Themselves in

a position that they haven't been in before and they just don't know what to do and I'm here to try to give constructive criticism and saying you don't have to do it trust me on this race it out get to see the Finish Line then do whatever you want to do if you want to turn left on the two cars below you when you come off turn four go for it I think one of the three of you will win maybe it's you but if you do it down the backstretch or the Last lap or

15 to go like the 22 and 47 you will end up wrecked talking about it when you leave the nfield Care Center yeah I don't know I just think you know from your perspective you got three of these things you've got 20 years you're going to go to 30 plus more races this year with a chance to win every week some of these drivers who were up front yesterday with with two to go are not in that situation they're not going to go to the racetrack every week Thinking they can win and then they're like

in this moment and it's like oh what do I do my favorite quote from Moneyball is that when the competition's making a mistake don't interrupt them but I'm here trying to interrupt them and say you don't have to do it this way that's cuz their mistake is going to cost drivers exactly right exactly right that's why because now it's affecting me okay like I'm I'm tired of getting taken out by just stupid moves that we chalk Up to that's just super speedway racing is it's because people are afraid to call out what they see it's

not just super speedway racing it's dumbass racing can you drivers hold each other accountable is there a way to like self- police some of this no I mean no I I don't think so I mean I you know I got a point penalty last time we self- policed um I don't know I I just I understand if you don't like me you're you're going to go off on Social media right now just this is sour grapes and whatnot but I'm just I'm telling you it's it's taking its toll on me that I I've work I

worked so hard to put myself in the right position and I know you know I I know that there was not a thing I would do differently I mean maybe you know my my mom asked me was it you or my mom asked me she says what if you would have pushed the two a little bit longer down the backstretch I was like I thought about that I I Thought about that in that moment but the way our cars work and and to try to give yall kind of a inside baseball here is that you

know you can only stay attached to somebody for so long um when you start taning them drafting in these cars and at any moment that bubble can break and what happens then as soon as that bubble or that suction of your front bumper to their rear bumper once once it breaks that seal then you just push that car out and So when I got the run on him in the middle of one and two and got to them off of turn two and became attached to him I can't risk that that bubble breaking us apart

so at that moment I'm like okay let me just get side by side with him right now and then let's see where the help comes from maybe he gets the push maybe I get the push but let me just at least get position on him at this moment um it probably had I came off the corner and Stayed attached to if I was able to if I knew I could stay attached to him I would have pushed him to the end of the straightaway and then pulled out going into turn three um but there was

just no guarantee knowing how these cars tandem draft that I was going to be able to stay attached for that long so I needed to take the move when I had it yeah I think what's so disappointing to me about this finish was going back to you know five to go before the second to Last caution every move you made there with cnri leading seemed or appeared so surgical you know like it just appeared like you knew what you were doing it almost felt like you had like sy's car in the palm of your hand

like you knew exactly how you're going to get around him just every move you made and then obviously the way it ends is like H we were set up for such a grand finish potentially yeah and just chaos U yeah and and that's why I I actually felt Really good racing with cnri at the end because I knew he wasn't going to make that I mean let let's let's speak realistically is this probably one of sync's best chances to win this year yeah but do you see him you know making erratic crazy blocks no it's

because he understands and he's got the same amount of experienc in some of these guys he's only been around 3 years so I think that's why I said on this podcast last week if I didn't win Who I think was GNA win Austin syri I just you know and you can see that he is on another level mentally and and it's why he puts himself in position so much there's other reasons why I he's always they qualify well they do great job on pit Lane they work really well as teammates um but Austin syri is

just a guy I felt very confident in racing for the win against um not that I was going to get the best of them but it Was like oh I'm going to have a fair race here he knows what he's doing I know what I'm doing this will be a good this is going to be a good show um and you know on the green white checkered restart he got the push he got clear of me but it's like I knew the whole time like I got something left like I knew how to get you

one last run on him and we did um but it just it it it just dang it I really would have liked to seen what would happen are you thinking on The last restart are you looking in your R ofie mirror and be like oh wow I've you know I got cnri here here next to me and you clearly respect his ability and and whatnot at these super Speedways but you think about the other guys around you like oh I don't know if they're going to act or drive the same way that cnri and I

are and that kind of worries me of course absolutely absolutely I mean when they're giving me the lineup right they they said on the radio here's The top 10 here's how it could in here's how it could lay out inside Lane outside Lane as I'm trying to make a decision on what Lane I'm going to restart on and I'm thinking the whole time okay if I go this Lane then that person's going to go that lane but then who will they have behind them because typically on restarts the most important cars are the third car

in line and the fourth car in line it's their jobs to get the line going so you always are Looking on TV at the first two cars hey are they linked up that really that's not usually the deciding factor on who clears it's where's the third and fourth car in each line the closer they are to the first car in their line that line always typically goes and so um just didn't get organized quite as good Riley gave me a great push but he didn't have whoever was behind him didn't stay close enough and you

know it didn't work out but it was like there was just no need For panic like we had three miles to go or something and so um many many big runs were were left to to come and uh but it was exciting I mean we I I felt good before that last restart because you know I I got to the lead by I think I pushed cnri to the lead and then I got a push to go around them and at that point I'm cleared and I'm like okay now this is is this is where

I want to be um and that at that moment I'm like I love it I love that Like I made I I I made the choice to make a few moves it paid off I'm leading the race on a green white Checker like this is this is why I got into NASCAR racing is that I I spent decades learning how to do this and watching the best and studying it and understanding it and I'm going to get rewarded for this and and then you know we we all crash at the end like like that has

become normal in the Daytona 500 and um that's what Then kills my enthusiasm for this whole thing is that I this is what I wanted to do as a kid and I reached the top level and I was about to get my fourth it was no guarantee but I was going to have a really good shot of getting my fourth and putting myself in Elite company with the greats of our sport that want it by the way when there was like two cars on the lead lap like it's just it's a different world now and

it's And it's and it's hard to put yourself in in that class and so I just it's frustrating because there's I don't know what else I do different um and and the record book's going to show we finish 24th and you know I mean that's my rant on it I don't know you know if I could just throw out my suggestion is is NASCAR to please please please get drag out of these cars um Reduce spoiler size please um I just think that we we have got to get drag out of these race cars um

it will fix so many things um it I believe it will fix a little bit of the fuel mile races that we have um yes you're always going to have want to have the least amount of um time on Pit Road but it will allow us P to pull out of line when we get moves to to get runs it it will allow us to not be so stuck to the racetrack to you know not make us Feel like we need to just Hammer the car in front of us to go forward like you can

do it by pushing through Air instead of pushing on a bumper like I just I think take you know getting a large chunk of drag out of these cars reducing the horsepower back to what we had before um I just want to see us do something different to put the sport back in it and and take luck back out of this this these prestigious events because what's happening is now our Prestigious events are just all luck based and I'm sorry you will not reach legitimacy in sports that way in the drivers meeting NASCAR played a

video with highlights from Daytona I'm sure you watched it and I'm sitting there watching it thinking wow like this is a spectacle the Alabama gang does this and and Dale wins this and it was a great video but now at the end of this race I feel like you haven't had a moment that's going to go into that video for The last handful of years are you just losing The Prestige of this event when it ends the way it does why do you think NASCAR social posts 20 times Dale Earnhardt's victories back in the day

or Dale Junior's yeah those were you knew that that was the best driver and the best team on that day and you saw them be Surgical and you knew they were just better than everyone else and now how do you create Stars when luck is What is such a big factor you don't stars are created on the racetrack by showing greatness I just think that it's so watered down now that it's you're it's not they're going to the clips of the wreck they're not going to show the clips of William Byron's winning move they're just

going to show the wreck so I just I think that's a long-term issue um but it's that's my opinion and and this is but this is a direction that this Is we this was a pointed direction in which we went in um and so I don't know that those in charge would want to reverse this I think that I think they I I don't think so do I think it bothers them no I don't think so I think that they want it to look good and not be good well certainly looks good cuz you guys

are 2 by two 3x3 at 8:00 p.m. and the Casual Sunday night the Casual right exactly I I understand that I understand that there's an element of you know Entertainment that we are doing and I don't want to downplay that because you know this is entertainment is what what people tune in for but I I try to equate this to the think about this okay if you wanted if you wanted basketball that was just straight entertainment wouldn't you watch the Harlem Globe trods because it's just you know tricks and gimmicks and like you don't you

tune into the NBA because It has skill like you see skill on display and you're seeing them do something that you have no chance to do um people tune into sports to see the great ones who who's our great ones I mean and your K arson we know that because he's done it over an extended period of time all kinds of different tracks and but generally speaking it's just I think it's a it's a it's a bigger thing that we got to work on is you know Letting the greats um such as you know you

know there's there's in my mind probably eight really really good good drivers um and William Byron being in that group um let let the Stars show their skill and um I think we were very fortunate for William Byron to win that race truthfully I think you know how how does how does how do we let me ask you this how do we feel if John Hunter neek was in William Byron's spot we' hate it yeah probably so I think we got I think we got lucky on that front you know as far as like promotion

of the sport this is bit you know William Byron legitimizes it because he won last year and it's like well it's clearly not a game of chance you you know two in a row um so so you're going to have that argument but I just think that had it Been someone else I think you probably have more of a whoa like can we do something to fix this you know and that's not a knock on John Hunter I just just think that I I believe that the the people would view it differently and I think

that they already don't love what they're seeing you know yeah you've already explained us how we got here but why did we get here why did we get here um again it's just a combination of you know we've Gotten we've slowed ourselves down so much trying to keep the cars on the ground we we we created a nextg car that's the same for everybody um you know it people want to bring back like old speed weeks where we're there for a week and we had preseason testing folks there's nothing we can else we can do

to these cars like you know we take the Lego set we put the Lego set together you can put the Lego set together however you want but you got to put it You know you got to put the Lego set together it's not like we're trying different aerodynamic stuff like what's going to be good in the draft versus what's going to be good for qualifying like that was a legit thing um there' be we would just be burning tires and fuel um we got here by this common race car that you know I I guess

the point was that hey make the car same for everybody and then the Stars Will the the drivers will be the biggest difference but it's just not NASCAR racing isn't that way it's it's it's uh there's so many outside factors you know when whens the caution fall do you make it on fuel mileage blah blah blah and and that's part of our sport right I mean that's that is the sporting aspect of it uh but I just think uh it makes it really difficult to um to to showcase the guys I mean I I Say

that and to counter my own argument like Austin syri finds himself up front most of these super speedway races but you want to anybody want to check Austin sync's record finish in record it's it's not good on super Speedways but yet in my mind he's been the most dominant in nextg so so that's not fair to him and it's not his fault right it it's somebody else making a ridiculous move that takes him out I mean that that's common place though Isn't it that the best super speedway Racers are usually finishing the race in the

garage it it is today yes do you have any issues with uh NASCAR allowing the field to race back to the checker flag I mean you you see that you know people are talking about well it's it's inconsistent listen here's how this is going to go if a wreck happens before the white they will be quick to throw the yellow if it Happens after the white it they will be late to throw the yellow that's just the way this is typically trending so get used to it I'm okay with that though I yeah I mean

I was one of the last I I I think I was the only only one that crashed hard that was sitting there in turns three and four um was I going to affect the Finish no uh I thought that the the dispatch Vehicles were there in in a timely manner um I I I my issue was I couldn't Get the car ref fired um so I didn't have any issue with it at all um you know Riley spun didn't make any contact actually kept going um was there a I mean that Sav saved the Finish

didn't it I mean Riley gets loose there after taking the white and ends up head first in the wall you're not even getting to the backstretch yeah cuz they well I think they'll let you go to turn three I think they would have let you know had he knows it in the wall right after the Start Finish Line I think they probably would have Les RAC into three and then called it um because they don't they're not going to want you coming to the line full full steam ahead right I think the problem that the

drivers have with it and I saw on our group text is that oh so we're racing back to the caution now or we're racing back in the middle of wreck so initially the reason that they they throw the caution when they see Heavy You know cars making heavy damage is that they don't want you driving through there and it's just a matter of then who holds it wide open and closes their eyes and hopes they don't hit anyone um and so by them not throwing the caution there it it actually rewarded those who kept their

foot in the gas the entire way on the last lap and you know I got I I was wrecked and then somebody came up from The bottom and hit me in the left side door like hard um and it I I don't know if it was because they you know they kept their foot in it or they just got clipped or something but I think from the driver's safety standpoint they're a little worried that this is a slippery slope that you know you're still by not throwing caution you're still rewarding those who keep your foot

all the way in the gas yeah does that also play a role in these finishes and that maybe uh you Drivers don't think anymore that hey we're racing back to the checker flag but instead we're just racing until another one of these guys out here makes a mistake and NASCAR throws a yellow so therefore you're racing down the backstretch thinking this race is over momentarily because as soon as someone else makes a mistake we're done so I have to get all I can get in any particular moment yeah it um like the race is not

over at the checker flag It's over when someone else makes a mistake that's how you would think uh it would go but I I don't know I just think that from the drivers I think they feel very vulnerable sitting in the middle of the racetrack and just because it doesn't affect the Finish you don't throw a caution so then I'm sitting in the middle of the racetrack in a green condition while cars are still coming so that's that's unsafe for us Drivers yeah I just mean in like the decision making of of drivers on the

last lap that you're almost racing like you're expecting rain to hit any moment you know that as soon as someone crashes this race is over and whatever position I'm in is the way I finish not the position I finish in is when I get to the checkered flag because we're probably not going to get to the yep yeah especially on these types of of tracks it's you know you know that the The wreck that could end it could happen at any moment um but I think you know they they gotten some grief over the the

finish of the truck race uh right huh d The Duel the second duel yeah and so you know we we went the other way on this one just let this one go again I was I I I guess I'm okay with it but I also understand some of the drivers that are upset that you know I'm I'm I'm crashed on the racing surface and there's no caution that tells everyone That's coming through my crash site floor it because you got to get to the your your finishing position is going to be decided by the Finish

Line not my crash how are you feeling physically after that hit because it did look bad um I was I was all good uh up until I got hit in the door there so um I'm going to get my wrist looked at today uh but other than that I'm all good uh we had a Kyle Bush tweet um following the wreck with 15 to go is That he was in is that correct that's when he yeah ended his race um he was in the the legano Stenhouse one right yeah Kyle Kyle tweeted after the race

Park by NASCAR officials rule says you have three attempts to make minimum speed the race never went back green yet I don't even think they know their own rules or procedures yeah I I I I have to disagree with Kyle here um you guys know because I I called Elton Sawyer uh you guys were in here I called him because you know Anytime that you kind of have these controversial things um you know I appreciate Elton taking my call this morning I wanted to be educated on this whole Kyle situation um you know Kyle was

incorrect and saying you get three attempts to uh to make speed um that that never has been that is not the case um you know you guys heard it the the way I understand it is that if you uh once you first of all it started because his lift Jack system did not work and it Is up for debate on why it didn't work Kyle said that the air pump the the tank that they had didn't have any air in it or you know it didn't work and if that's the case that's that's on them

that's on the the safety crew or NASCAR whoever to make sure that your equipment is working um but again we don't know we're we're just we got to take we'll take Kyle's word for it on this one right so so because his system didn't work he wasn't able to get you know Plugged into the airjack system bring his car up so he could then drive it to Pit Road so if he drives it to Pit Road he then H you know once the race goes back green he has three laps to make minimum speed is

that the way that y'all heard it but because he had to be towed to the garage because of this you know either the a NASCAR tank problem or an A car's Kyle's car problem he anyway he got to had to get towed back to the garage and If you start in the garage you when you come out after because they give you unlimited time to fix it once you come out you better have it right because you don't get another chance after that um so yeah he thought he had multiple attempts and then also said

we were still under caution and that doesn't matter if it was still yellow or i' gone green you get one shot El made that very clear that it doesn't matter the condition once you Leave the um damaged area in the garage Once you pull out and say okay we've got our car fixed you better make speed at that point yep if if you start on Pit Road and run a lap and it's and you think it's no good if youve got more time on the clock you can come back to Pit Road work on it

if not you got to take it back in the garage spend as much time as you need to work on it but when you go back out that's your attempt yeah that's so I I think Kyle was just a Little mixed up on the rules there um I thought it was you know after explained again I know it's hard to kind of know all the nuances of it um but it's to me it's it's pretty simple that if you go to the garage to fix your car when you come back out it has to be

right that's why they encourage you they give you as much time as you need to fix it yeah and Kyle's frustrated too in the moment right no question he feels he's got a decent shot to win his first day Tona 500 and more or less the same situation that takes you out of the race takes him out of the race and he's mad at legano for the wreck yeah this so you know he's just upset at everything yeah he he's upset at at Joey uh and Joey's up set with the 47 how did you see

that that wreck I I told you I I saw the wreck happen it was going to H five laps before I just saw these guys weaving From the Top Lane to the bottom Lane like I just don't get like these low percentage moves and they think it's going to be successful I just I don't know it's my opinion I that's why I'm not them they're not me so both fault or fault is it though for the actual wreck like we know it started five laps PR but like the actual wreck who's at fault um if

I had to put a number on it I'd say probably 65% the 47 and 35% the 22 um Stenhouse made a a very aggressive block to a lane that was going much faster you know it was going faster than him he he chopped down on the 22 they saw the 22 lift to like not keep his foot on it and just dump the 47 which he could have done the 47 then he realizes okay I'm in line I'm in a safe spot and the 22 more than likely what had happen um and he can correct

this on his own podcast later this way is that I Think what happened with Joey is he got pissed off when he got chopped off he said okay I'm going to J you know you leave me another Gap I'm gonna take it and he kept taking it and the 47 kept trying to stop it and eventually they just crashed each other so to me it just the cooler heads didn't Prevail in the situation and I know that the 22 was probably pissed that he got chopped off by the 47 so he said the next opportunity

he leaves me a One car with I'm sticking my nose in there and I'm not lifting next time and that's what happened yeah he he certainly got he got chopped off the first time he tries to take a run that he's got through the middle and but again I don't know if you're the 47 like you still H you're still the front of your line there's still you know there was three lines at the time and it's like I I think he moved Down to to block the 22 but there were still you still have

a safety net that another Lane is coming to pick you up it's not like you're going to the back of the pack yeah you might lose three or four spots you know a couple but like it's not to me it's not a die or do or die situation of I've got to make this block I have said for years there's not one block that absolutely has to be made unless it's off of turn four that is the only time That like a block is absolutely necessary because anything can happen the leaders could take themselves out

you know Racing for each other someone pulls a BL block boom you win the race but I just felt like we were at 15 to go and it just felt like when I was in the pack guys were starting to push harder um everyone was leaving each other less and less room it was inevitable that we were going to wreck but that one was a just one Where you know weaving back and forth between two and three lanes I I don't know I just I have found more success just staying in a lane find a

way to tug your Lane right do a good job of leading your lane and nobody will try to pass you like you know what I mean just do do your do a good job dragging your lane and everything will work itself out bouncing between lanes trying to stop runs I I I just don't know that's a Way Forward I mean I'm sure there is a way but I just I I just haven't seen that not end in the way that it ended more times than not a Ford whether that was RFK or Pensky car or

whoever LED 62% of the laps in this race do they have something that the other manufacturers don't have um no I think they've got really good drivers who are really good they've got got two maybe Three of the top six Super Speedway drivers right now like you know technique drivers and that's that's going to be hard to beat especially if they're committed to each other um so it's why they keep themselves up towards the front I think to do a uh I think they get better fuel mge than us personally um so I you know

they're just the combination that keeps them up front they qualify well um now you can't take Anything away from them I think that they just they got Elite drivers that know what they're doing does the fuel mileage really play into that that they're just more comfortable staying up front because they have better fuel mileage so I can run up front while you can't yeah I mean getting better fuel mileage is a combination you know some of it's driver some of it it could be you know engine mapping or what have you But it's either way

they they they just seemed more they seem more buttoned up when it comes to executing on a super speedway now they the results would show that they just they get crashed a lot um but again we talked we went on a rant for 20 minutes at the beginning of the show about that I I don't think all that's their fault Ryan priest somehow seems to find himself in these massive recks when we go to these Super speed yeah and when he said that this wreck was harder on him than the flip I I I would

agree 100% when I watched you know anytime your car comes down like flat like that on the bottom I mean it is a back breaker like my back I I would be coming in here on in a wheelchair would we be doing the podcast today no so uh yeah that that wreck is a not the flip the flip is what's going to get all the a time but when his car slams back down on the ground that is I Can't tell you how how hard that hurts so what do we do bad that's you know

it is just really bad for the spine so what do we do because he's calling for some changes oh man he says they know the changes they need to make they do I that that was Ryan priest's quote Travis do you have I don't know I just I let's be a little careful with just these knee-jerk reactions we again the knee-jerk reactions is why we gotten to run 175 mph on these tracks and it's why We're crashing each other so hard like I'd rather R let's let us run 20000 Spa with a little more space

and and it would be less dangerous it would I'm telling you would would be we keep beating on the door hoping for a different result and I think we know where there's a problem at Super Speedways yeah I I don't know what he's I'm not sure what he's insinuating but you know he's probably been in more conversations than I have with NASCAR on What they think will help but I mean this was a a wheelie right so it just doesn't matter we've got this flat under bottom of our car and so I mean you've seen

sports cars in the past right where they get airborne and and the air just takes it and it's like a parachute it just this is like what we saw at at at Bowman gry with Tai right when Ty got that wheelie yeah on Justin Haley except in that race he's going 30 miles hour and this one you're going 190 it's like When you're going tubing on the water and those tubes cut through and they just go up in the air the other thing is I'm guessing this one also harder because the one when he flipped

he had all the energy dispersing out the car where this really didn't have much time to lose any of that right yeah yeah I mean it's just it was just a bad combination of a lot of things um but if the cars if we had more space between each other it it it Wouldn't happen as often so I I don't know um but I I I certainly hope the answer for them is not to be well we just got to keep slowing them down till you know we run so slow that you know there's no

chance that the air can lift it up well I imagine we'll probably see some adjustments in some sort of way before the next Super Speedway race whether that's a shark fin or or something else Travis where do we want To want to go from here jgr tablets on uh fuel only that's uh something new that caught everyone's attention last year you said that you'd always just go on the head nod that seemed like is probably the fastest what so what can you say um I mean I can answer any questions but it's just it's it's

a way for us to try to you know Quicken up our Pit Stop time I don't know um I think that uh you know Typically the reason what happens is that you know we're all fighting for tents of a second right um and so when you go into the pit area and you know you need a certain amount of time let's just call it 4 seconds of fuel right it's usually the crew chief watches to see when they plug in he counts to four and then he tells you to go or or he's waiting to

see the bubbles come up in the actual um fueling tank and then he you know fuel ner gives the nod crew Chief then says go and all that takes time all that round of communication takes time and so I think that you know jgr is doing it just as a way to streamline that communication I didn't read Boosey Tatar Ric's article on Twitter but he he wrote about this how how is the tablet linked to the fuel process like how is the screen going green giving you the signal to go just a countdown I think

he I think the person is hitting it I don't think it's Connected is a countdown mhm it's just countdown yeah I don't think it's like connected till like there's a chip in the fuel no no you can't have that yeah that's against rules it's just the person holding the tablet yeah somebody has to activate to start it somebody H you know I mean I've used an iPhone before like I've had to touch something more than once to get it to go right what happens if if that occurs like you you're using a tab You're saying

you start a countdown on the tablet then when reaches zero it automatically turns green but someone has to start the countdown on the tablet at the same time they could be it could be the person I I I don't know but it could be the person on the tablet just hitting a button on you know because you can make these buttons do anything right but they have to match their time of hitting the button with the time the fuel they're watching when it plugs in So there's just a little bit less margin of error doing

that than the head nod yeah I mean was it a gain was it not I don't know it's just something weing about I'm curious uh who the next team is that gives us a try cuz everyone was talking about it so I'm like at what point does another team say let's let's try this because it's Sports is a copycat no matter what league it is it's a copycat League yeah for sure um you know for again It's you know one of the best teams on Pit Road I think are the Pinsky cars and and they

whatever they're doing works right I mean they spend the least amount of time on Pit Road I think if you look at the stats I I would assure you that the Pinsky cars felt like to me they were on less Pit Road less time than anyone so they've got something else worked out that we got to figure out so we um whether it's you know me driving like I Got to get my foot off the gas pedal or what like I'm not really sure but uh there's a lot to be learned there you're save and

turn two was that as impressive to you as it was watching on TV yeah I uh I saw the checkup and you know Zane didn't get it quite as quickly uh but yes I was so nervous cuz that thing many times you see when you get hung on the apron right there that thing will hook hard right and so I just made sure I had my wheels turning left all the new Drivers out there truck series or expending you get caught on the apron like that turn the wheel left don't ever turn the wheel right

if you got to spin it out to the botom spin it out to the bottom but don't ever try to correct it by going right because the thing will eventually hook and whatever Direction the wheels return that's where your car is going to go so um yeah all the young drivers out there get hung on the apron turn left don't turn right is that very Counterintuitive of how you would think you correct the car but that's it you just you're you get slid on the apron and you just turn left I just turn it left

kind of as far as I can turn it without you know grabbing you know I never want to change my hand position on the wheel so I'll just turn it left as far as my arms will let me turn it and hold it and hold it until it grips and then once I feel it starting to grip I'll start to straighten the wheel back Out ah so there is a moment there where you do have to catch it yourself yes yes yes yes for sure though I will say maybe knowing how the race ended might

have been better just to get in the wreck at the beginning the day is over H that's tough try I I wouldn't have came in here as the get off my porch guy for sure this morning um but I mean I I still find it rewarding that like I knew I did what I Needed to do and I made the move that was going to win us another 500 and you've talked about how the past few years Super Speedway hasn't been your thing so does that kind does at least seeing how you performed give you

confidence I never I never have second guessed like the ability for me to create runs get attached to cars um the tactics on track haven't gone away like my my nextg super SP record while atrocious it It hasn't necessarily been I never felt I never doubted like the tactics part of it it's just all the other things I have I I have been good at Super Speedways because I've always gone 100% gone out there controlled the race work the lines now it's just a different world where um where I felt like I needed to really

really improve was getting my foot off the pedal I need to be better at you know riding um which I've never been Good at if you look at the super Speedways over time back when we used to run up against the wall I was always the first to go to the bottom like this [ __ ] that shit's boring list go put on a show let let's let's go 100% all out all the time um so I've never really been good at just sitting back and and waiting and relaxing and saving and like no I

want to I want to go and and and you know allow the skill set to keep me up front but that is what it's happened in next Genera is that I I burned more fuel and then I find myself you know after a pit stop in 25th and I'm like what the hell I was just leading the race I just drove up to lead the race why am I 25th well we got to got to put more gas in the car you're get your foot off the gas I want to do that so um I

I've needed to get better at all the other things not the on track moves it's it's all the other aspects of what makes you know you run up front in a super speedway race that's Where I've really needed to improve over the last few years few other quick topics here uh to touch on before we close out uh Elio castr nevas NASCAR Experience is finally complete he had one Health a weekend yeah he did he got The Full Experience um I yeah I don't I don't know what else to say about it he um got

in a lot of wrecks I mean most his fault not his fault yeah I mean you Know I thought the the one in the duel was like eh didn't look great cuz he didn't look like he was really trying to slow down when he was crashing like he just kind of kept it kept in it but other than that like I don't know don't don't get me started on the Arca race I already it's not a NASCAR race folks yes people I know technically it is but can we can we get those guys off that

track I'm sorry but inexperienced Driver should not be running 190 miles an hour at Daytona you know it just as the appetizer for the weekend it it's just not it's it's unsafe for all it's just that that that race is does not belong on that track that that is a lower series that needs to be running on short tracks you want to put them on an intermediate fine but you know those drivers have not nearly enough experience to be on that Track Running those speeds I think they had what like 13 people in the race

it started with with like 40 like well I mean that's a normal arcer race usually if you can if you're five laps down you usually can finish 10th I know y'all are laughing but that's true just crazy just wild um I don't know it's it's easy for us to just you know trash on it but it's it's not their fault they're they're trying to do Everything they can I just don't I just don't believe you know putting very inexperienced drivers on on a track running that fast is is a good idea for anyone's health or

well-being Bubba Wallace won his duel on Thursday night and then we saw a cool video on social media of him taking the trophy over to MJ later that night is a dual win just as exciting as any other win no I mean and H I think for everyone it's different I It's certainly awesome to start your wheat you know your your speed weeks off that way and I mean it's on Thursday but I I think it means different for everyone he hadn't won one yet so I think that that is big you also get 10

points for the regular season okay so so you do get points um which which definitely matters any you get a trophy so like what I loved about winning a duel or back when we had this Clash at the at Daytona is the trophy would sit In your motor home the whole week so like you know that trophy sits there because you're there all week and it's like hell yeah we've already we're already leaving with some Hardware right you you no matter what happens in the 500 like you you've got you're going home with something and

so that's what that's the best part of it and for someone that didn't win last year yeah this is just the duel but yeah coming in first place in something controll that Race like him and the 45 really controlled that race and and dominated it so um yeah it was a sign of good things and guest on DBC today is he yep bbba was on cool um few other things uh truck series Parker clingerman crosses the start Finish Line first uh but as then later DQ and Cory Heim uh announced the winner I Parker and

the team are still appealing this win as far as I now they're pissed yeah do you know any Anything about why they I had some conversations with them I I'll you know I'll let the appeal play out um can you explain what they said that he did to like the height uh I I'm not educated enough on it um I would just be assuming um I what I do know is that they had their car Chief ejected um through the first round of tech um when they were when they unloaded so they were already short

on people um but you know you just never Know what can happen to your to your vehicle during the course of a race or anything like that so um I don't know I just know that you know he feels very adamant that um you know they there was nothing wrong with his with his vehicle and you know how the procedures in which they took the NASCAR officials took post race I think they're in large disagreement with um and that they probably believe caused um the back of his vehicle to be Too low so I don't

know you just have to kind of wait on wait on the facts on that one but that blows for him I mean such a you know it's such a tough thing for him because you know he he's maybe going to win xinity race and that didn't work and you know we were talking about like wi's the caution getting getting thrown and and then now this truck race where you you went on the biggest stage at the biggest track and and um you know he has A chance to lose that as well I love that he

kept the flag always keep the flag guys if you get DQ do not give up the flag they they'll ask for the trophy back but tell them they want another flag better print another one because I'm taking that home so where's your flag at the Pocono yeah uh dad got it I give I give my dad most all the flags and then lastly Jesse love wins the Xfinity race on Saturday night great Drive by Jesse um yeah it looked like it was going to kind of be a battle with him and Austin Hill um Austin

Hill just did a great job of like controlling that race and and I I know I know he's got a fast car but still you see that his his super speedway IQ is just higher than everyone he's racing against so I mean if I were the his competitors I would just study what is he doing um that's how you you get on that level uh unfortunate for him He had a um mechanic issue that you know you could kind of see that it was it was inevitably going to happen he had grease or something all

over the right rear wheel so you knew that that was a ticking time bomb that wasn't going to make it so stunk for him but but Jesse drove a fantastic race and exciting finish and yeah it was cool to see them get a win I've got a review here from Justin Napier he says I used to be a Dale Jr fan until his retirement I didn't know who to pull for anymore this podcast turn me into a Denny fan best of luck in 2025 hoping to see you get that Championship I'll be in Bristol again

this year with my 11 year on I appreciate that um you know thank you for tuning in and uh sorry I was Denny Downer today but I don't know I feel like you know sometimes I got to get it out right and you know I didn't want to keep this all bottled in of like you know my disappointment for kind of where We're at right now with things but man I just uh it's frustrating certainly that uh we can't get a clean finish for our Daytona 500 our most prestigious race just can't seem to get

it to the Finish Line in a in a proper manner but it's it's on us drivers we're the ones doing it and you know we uh again it we're going to get we're going to get uh backed by by everyone that just says well that's super speedway racing so might as well keep doing it I have a Question are we going to get a motto this year we are I I mentioned on um the media day um podcast by biani and and Gluck that like it's got to hit it's going to hit me of what

it's going to be but I I don't want to rush it I just feel like you know Allin like was perfect and this is just not the week for me to say Allin if if you know what I mean yeah You know what I mean I just you know I need I need you know hey if you got some suggestions bring them my way try to try to make it with two L's that way we can use the 11 maybe I'll steal it and give you credit for it but I just nothing is really um

felt right uh but we're not that doesn't mean we won't have one your your kids are spending this week at the happiest place on Earth maybe you should get back down there sooner than you initially planned on if you want to put Me in a worse mood send me to Disney World I mean I could not imagine that sounds like hell down this morning guys five days down there D there is not a male human on the planet that would enjoy 5 days in Disney so when did they get there they're they're they just they're

they're there like today's their first day they're going to do two days so soon a rest day in Disney Springs and then I'll be there Thursday and Friday how Soon do you get a call from Jordan that Taylor and Molly had just a breakdown meltdown yeah tonight it's just that's I I know what it's just I I don't get it why I mean she was telling me about this and I just says and she could see the anxiety coming on my face and I was like she's like I said this sounds this is my worst

nightmare this is my absolute worst night luckily for me I've never been so happy to go to work this week Like I you know I've got I got work to do I I've got meetings I gotta I'm late by the way since yeah I'm 20 minutes late to the 2311 meeting um I just yeah I said I'll catch you on the back end of it once I'm done my work for the week I'll catch you on Thursday Friday before Atlanta to to be fair last week before for Daytona Emily and I went to Disney park

Hollywood Studios for a day and while I did en very much enjoy the day there I was thinking while I was there I Was like holy I can't imagine that parents do this in the summer when kids are out of school for multiple days going there without kids is lunacy Jared what are you doing I don't care if it's for a day or not it's every once every couple years is fun no oh yeah that's a debate for another day it is it is all right well uh um we got Atlanta next week right uh

do we know tune in is this a FS1 or Fox I think it's Fox again yes I don't know we don't know but it's on Sunday make sure you guys tune in um it's fun Fox it's onun Fox okay great next weekend Fox on Sunday tune in for Atlanta hopefully we have a I I hope I'm not grumpy after Atlanta this wasn't fun for me today okay I want to be happy let's let's turn let's write this ship in the next seven days okay it a good podcast maybe two days in Disney will change my

Outlook doubtful all right guys we'll see you