The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway delivered more than just high-speed thrills — it sparked a major conversation. A 23-car wreck changed the entire complexion of the race, and while many fans and teams left with damaged equipment, Denny Hamlin believes the chaos was a blessing for the sport.
On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin broke down why the massive crash made the racing better — and why the tight, aggressive packs on superspeedways may be holding NASCAR back more than fans realize.
Why Denny Hamlin Believes the Atlanta Wreck Was a Good Thing
In most races, a wreck that wipes out more than half the field would be considered a disaster. But to Hamlin, the lap 80 pile-up at Atlanta did something critical: it opened up the racing.
“That wreck was the best thing that happened to that race,” Hamlin said bluntly. “There’s no question about it whatsoever. What it did was it created space between the cars. We’re not log-jammed two by two by two. There was space.”
What Hamlin is referring to is one of the most debated topics in NASCAR — pack racing. With today’s superspeedway aero packages, cars often get bunched up into giant, two-wide groups with very little room to make bold moves. While this style of racing keeps things close and unpredictable, it can also lead to frustration among drivers who feel boxed in for hundreds of miles.
Hamlin argued that after the crash took out nearly two dozen cars, the remaining competitors finally had the breathing room needed to show off their skills.
“There were only 15 cars that maybe weren’t damaged. All the passing that was done at the end of that race was created through space — and that’s what we used to have on superspeedways.” – Denny Hamlin
Comparing Superspeedways: Atlanta vs. Daytona and Talladega
Atlanta Motor Speedway has quickly become one of the most unique tracks on the NASCAR calendar. After its reconfiguration in 2022, it now races like a mini-superspeedway, blending the drafting intensity of Daytona and Talladega with a shorter, narrower layout.
But Hamlin sees a critical difference: Atlanta offers more chances to break away — especially when a wreck shakes things up.
“At Daytona and Talladega, there’s no space. Atlanta cleared out the field to create space, and that created great racing.” – Denny Hamlin
What the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is suggesting is that sometimes less is more. While fans might not love seeing a wreck take out big names early, the unintended result can be a more dynamic race finish. With fewer cars on track, drivers have room to strategize, make runs, and trade positions — something that becomes nearly impossible in a fully packed field.
Chase Elliott’s Victory: Smart Driving in the Chaos
When the dust settled at Atlanta, it was Georgia’s own Chase Elliott standing in victory lane. The Dawsonville native grabbed his first win of the 2025 season in front of a home crowd, and even Hamlin took time to praise his performance.
“He could hold the bottom line and hold it wide open easier than anybody else could that I noticed,” Hamlin said.
“He had what looked like the perfect balance, the perfect amount of grip, and he was able to capitalize on it with a great move at the end.” – Denny Hamlin
That move came in the final laps, where Elliott timed his run to perfection and made the most of a draft-assisted surge to take the lead. While some might call it lucky, the No. 9 driver saw it differently.
“Just to win a race is nice in general,” Elliott said.
“I’m not going to go picky whether it’s wild or boring. It was nice to come out on the good end of that. It could have been one of five or six of us there at the end.” – Chase Elliott
Elliott admitted the win was as much about timing as it was about execution. “The runs just really timed up at the perfect time,” he added. “We were able to do something with them.”
Is NASCAR’s Chaos Its Greatest Asset?
Whether it’s luck, skill, or simply being in the right place at the right time, Elliott’s win and Hamlin’s commentary both speak to a larger trend in NASCAR — the unpredictability is part of the magic.
Hamlin’s suggestion that wrecks can actually improve the racing might be controversial to purists, but it taps into something real. When too many cars are packed into one narrow groove, the product on track becomes stagnant. Space forces drivers to be creative. Damage forces teams to adapt. And sometimes, the thinned-out field allows the best drivers to rise to the top.
As NASCAR continues to evolve its rules and track layouts, moments like these offer insight into what’s working and what isn’t. Hamlin may not have had the finish he wanted — he wound up 31st — but his reflections shed light on the kind of racing many fans and drivers want more of: strategic, open, and aggressive without being artificially packed.
News in Brief: Denny Hamlin on Atlanta NASCAR wreck
The 2025 Atlanta summer race will be remembered for its carnage — but also for its consequences. A massive multi-car crash took out nearly half the field, but according to Denny Hamlin, it gave the rest of the drivers the freedom to put on a better show.
And with Chase Elliott’s precision timing delivering him a long-awaited win in front of his home crowd, the storylines were rich, dramatic, and unforgettable.
As the second half of the NASCAR Cup Series season unfolds, the debate over superspeedway racing styles and safety will continue — but one thing’s certain: when space opens up, so does the action.
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