Denny Hamlin is known not to hold back in sharing his opinions. And on Tuesday, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver called out NASCAR’s flawed Hall of Fame voting system. 

It all started after reporter Kelly Crandall put out an X post, stating that she agreed with "Door Bumper Clear" podcast host Freddie Kraft about the possibility of Kyle Busch being elected as the Hall of Fame inductee unanimously, but without being in the waiting period to be put on the ballot.

However, a fan called out the reporter, stating that drivers like Jimmie Johnson get left behind because the media voters assume that he will be inducted, and because of that, he doesn't get unanimous votes, and that the media is to blame.

To this, Crandall replied, stating that Johnson should have been unanimous, and the media members aren't the only voters. Here, Denny Hamlin joined in on the debate as he replied to Crandall’s tweet, stating that the ballots should not be anonymous.

He wrote, "If they would stop making ballots anonymous, they would give the proper respect to those who without a doubt should have been unanimous."

This is not the first time the 23XI Racing co-owner has called out NASCAR’s Hall of Fame system. In 2023, when Jimmie Johnson was not voted unanimously despite 93% modern era ballot votes, Hamlin voiced his opinion and called the decision 'a joke’. He requested that the names of those who said no be made public and removed from the panel.

Over the years, NASCAR fans have questioned the anonymity of the voting ballots. They have constantly voiced out their opinion about having transparency when it came to the voting. 

It remains to be seen if NASCAR will consider making the Hall of Fame voting a more transparent process or continue with its current system.

However, this is not the first time that Hamlin has spoken about the Hall of Fame. 

Denny Hamlin Debates NASCAR Hall of Fame

Earlier in March, a debate surrounded whether drivers from the lower division should be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame. Denny Hamlin shared his opinion on the same on his "Actions Detrimental" podcast.

He challenged the idea of having drivers from the grassroots level enter the Hall of Fame.

“Why does someone that stays in a lower level get the right to just jump this whole staircase to Cup?” Hamlin questioned. 

He further spoke about how it is not just about accomplishments but also about protecting what the Hall of Fame stands for. 

"The Hall of Fame is the pinnacle, so my issue is why is your multiple accomplishments at the grassroots, how does that allow you to just jump right to the pinnacle?" Hamlin said. 

The NASCAR Hall of Fame has time and again become the center of the conversation in recent years, be it the choice of nominees or the voting procedure. The debate will not settle anytime soon unless a change is made. 

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak