Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin didn’t hold back after he got out of his car following the practice session for one of the toughest races on the NASCAR calendar. The Coca-Cola 600, already known for its length and demands, left the veteran driver shaken and with a lot to say.
Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin opened up about safety concerns that could have a big impact on his health and the future of the sport.
What he shared about the practice session and the 600-mile marathon at Charlotte Motor Speedway raised alarms, especially in turns 3 and 4. His team tried to fix the issue, but Hamlin said there’s still a lot of work to do.
Denny Hamlin Reveals Painful Experience
After the race, Hamlin explained what he went through on the bumpy Charlotte track. It was more than just racing the other drivers; it was about dealing with a track surface that caused his head to whip back and forth.
Hamlin talked about how the bumps in turns 3 and 4 made his head bounce between the left and right headrests inside the car. Even though NASCAR has rules for padding, there was still a gap that left his head moving nonstop.
“It’s just a weird situation where the track is so bumpy at Charlotte in turns 3 and 4,” Hamlin said. “We have a minimum left side headrest, minimum right side and so I have this small gap that’s in between, well as I’m going over these bumps you know I noticed in practice like my head was just ping ponging off of both sides.”
“It’s almost like if you dropped a ping-pong ball on this table, you know how it gets the rebound and then it just keeps going and keeps going. That’s what I felt like, it just wouldn’t stop. Even after I was done with the bumps the thing is still rattling back and forth,” Hamlin added.
Team Tries to Help, But More Work Needed
To try and fix the problem, Hamlin’s team worked on adjusting the headrest spacing before Sunday’s race. The change helped a little, but it wasn’t enough to stop the violent movement of his head.
Hamlin explained, “So we tried to open the gap a little bit for Sunday, and it might have made it a little bit better but it’s something we got to look into, cuz I mean I told him I’m going to be concussed after this race. I am just getting my head knocked side to side every lap.”
His words painted a clear picture of the risks NASCAR drivers take every time they get behind the wheel. While fans love the speed and the show, what Hamlin described shows just how hard it is on the drivers’ bodies.
And Hamlin’s concerns go beyond a single race. The risk of concussions is real, and what he felt at Charlotte shows how bumpy tracks and car setups can put drivers in danger. It also brings up questions about the equipment standards in NASCAR, like how headrests are designed and how much protection they really offer.
The track at Charlotte Motor Speedway is known for being one of the bumpiest in NASCAR. Drivers have talked about it for years, but what Hamlin shared adds even more weight to the issue.
In the world of stock car racing, safety is always a top priority. But as tracks age and cars get faster, drivers like Hamlin know there’s always more to be done. His comments might push NASCAR and teams to rethink how they protect drivers, especially in these long and tough races.