The Denny Hamlin race manipulation controversy erupted following a pivotal moment during the closing laps of the Charlotte ROVAL event, when Hamlin overtook Ross Chastain, raising questions from drivers, NASCAR officials, and fans about the legitimacy and ethics of racing decisions influenced by points standings. Hamlin’s choice, paired with his candid remarks after the race regarding critical information he lacked about Joey Logano’s position in the championship standings, has intensified conversations about fairness and manipulation in NASCAR competition.
In the immediate aftermath of the race, Hamlin revealed that his team kept the radio silent during decisive moments, withholding updates on where other key drivers stood in the points race. As a result, Hamlin stated he acted without essential context, a move that could impact his own championship aspirations due to Logano’s potential to upset his playoff hopes.
“I would’ve made the best decision for me. I wish I would have known,”
Hamlin told the media.
“I didn’t know if I was running 10th or 25th. I mean, listening to the radio the whole time, there was just crickets. Nobody said anything, nobody told me anything. I wish they did.”
– Denny Hamlin, Driver
NASCAR Addresses Concerns About On-Air Strategy and Race Control
Responding to the controversy on its Hauler Talk Podcast, NASCAR’s communications team stressed that openly discussing points positions over the radio—and subsequently seeing a competitor alter their actions in response—would trigger serious scrutiny. Officials argued that even hinting at the possibility of influencing the outcome based on such information crosses into the realm of manipulation they aim to prevent.
“At a certain point during this week, we will just remind teams, ‘Let’s not put yourselves or ourselves in jeopardy here,’”
stated Mike Forde, NASCAR’s Managing Director of Communications.
“I think we would have looked into it for sure. If we heard that radio transmission say, ‘Hey, (Chastain) needs this point to advance to the next round over (Logano)’ or something of that ilk, and all of a sudden, (Hamlin) let off the gas, that would probably raise a red flag on our side.”
– Mike Forde, Managing Director of Communications, NASCAR
This acknowledgement underscores a fundamental tension: where does strategic awareness end and manipulation begin? NASCAR continues to remind race teams and competitors to avoid even the appearance of manipulating outcomes through coordinated broadcasts or signals.
Drivers Express Division Over Use of Points Information
The debate around the Denny Hamlin race manipulation controversy deepened as drivers, including Hamlin, Logano, and Christopher Bell, voiced contrasting perspectives about whether competitors should be allowed to know and act on their rivals’ points standings during races. While some believe it is a valuable element of strategy, others feel it introduces ethical dilemmas that undermine the sport’s integrity.
“I don’t know, most of the drivers are out there, you know, are blind to what’s going on unless someone speaks up and I know that’s very sensitive right now with people talking on the radio about it, it’s just, I don’t know, it kind of feels a little bit gross,”
Christopher Bell stated at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“I would love to just, you know, be able to race and, you know, not have to worry about this, manipulation stuff.”
– Christopher Bell, Driver
Bell emphasized he wants to compete without distractions from radio chatter concerning points permutations, reflecting broader discomfort among drivers regarding the ethical gray zone such communications can create. He added,
“go out there and lay it all on the line all the time.”
– Christopher Bell, Driver
Logano and Hamlin: Strategy or Manipulation?
Joey Logano, who indirectly benefited from Hamlin’s late-race move and Chastain’s subsequent crash, argued that knowing one’s own and others’ point scenarios helps inform risk calculations rather than facilitating outright race manipulation. Logano believes that awareness is a practical tool for navigating playoff tension, not necessarily a way to alter the eventual outcome for personal gain.
“I want to know, obviously, my point situation because it matters, but I also want to know the other point situations because that matters too, not necessarily for manipulating the race, but understanding what risk I’m taking,”
Logano said.
“Is this guy in a must-win situation and he’s gonna clobber me? Or, how hard is this car gonna be to pass in general. What are the motives out there, and there are plenty of times throughout the year where Coleman (Presley, No. 22 spotter) will tell me, ‘Hey, the top three cars on this restart are all must-wins.’ I’m like, ‘OK.’ I might be eighth at that moment or wherever, but just knowing that gives me like, ‘OK, this could be a pretty crazy restart. This might be a little different than what we’ve watched before the race and how we think it’s gonna go and I’ve got to be ready.’ I want to know those things. That helps me, not in a case of changing the outcome or anything like that, but how can I make the 22-car finish better.”
– Joey Logano, Driver
Still, Logano acknowledged the delicate nature of these communications, expressing uncertainty about precise boundaries set by NASCAR and hinting at the need for clearer regulations on information sharing during live events.
“I think if you’re just saying what’s going on, it’s probably OK,”
Logano continued.
“I do think there are some gray lines of, to your point, where is the black and white of this you can do and this you can’t do. I’m sure we could probably tighten some of that up a little bit and just help us understand that.”
– Joey Logano, Driver
Hamlin Recalls Previous Race Manipulation Penalties
Hamlin himself drew parallels to a notable incident at the 2024 Martinsville Speedway cutoff race, when several teams—including the No. 1, No. 3, and No. 23 entries—were penalized heavily for attempting to manipulate race outcomes. Following that event, NASCAR imposed significant penalties, hoping to deter deliberate results engineering in the future.
“I think it’s important to know that and then I don’t see any reason why I can’t know what the point situation is,”
Hamlin said.
“I’ve always asked what the point situation is. I didn’t in this third stage (at the ROVAL). I think the team gave me an update at the end of the second stage, simply because I was restarting, I believe, behind Chase Briscoe (JGR teammate) and someone else and they were saying at the time, Briscoe was close. So, at that point, I don’t want to put him in a bad spot. I know I’m basically in, and so I think that’s important information to know. So, I don’t, I think that if you see through evidence, there’s clear manipulation going on, I don’t think what gets said on the radio should really matter is, I mean, everyone has eyes and ears and so you should be able to see when someone deliberately does something to manipulate the finish. It’s a weird one in my case because I had no dog in that fight. I had no allegiance to either party (Logano or Chastain) and so at that point, my question would be, ‘do I have a right to then choose my competitor?’”
– Denny Hamlin, Driver
What This Means for NASCAR’s Future
The intense reactions and divergent opinions from key drivers like Hamlin, Logano, and Bell, alongside NASCAR officials like Mike Forde, have thrown a spotlight on unresolved questions about the line between strategy and manipulation. As the Denny Hamlin race manipulation controversy ripples across the sport, it magnifies the regulatory and ethical challenges facing the NASCAR Cup Series in maintaining competition integrity, especially during high-stakes playoff rounds and championship races.
NASCAR’s stance signals a commitment to examining communicative practices more closely, potentially prompting new rules about the exchange of points information during events. Competitors, meanwhile, are left to weigh the merits of strategic awareness against the damage that perceptions of manipulation can cause. The coming races—and possible regulatory adjustments—will likely shape how these issues are handled in seasons ahead, affecting teams, drivers, and the credibility of NASCAR itself.
