This year’s Brickyard 400 may have left fans and viewers disappointed, but Denny Hamlin feels that it still deserves its place among NASCAR's crown-jewel races. 

Speaking on Tuesday's episode of his "Actions Detrimental" podcast, Hamlin acknowledged that the Next Gen cars have changed racing at Indianapolis, but rejected the notion that the track has lost its significance. He compared the Brickyard 400 with today's Daytona 500, arguing that modern superspeedway races often rely more on surviving crashes than outright speed.

He asked, "What is more of a lucky win, the Daytona 500 today or a Brickyard 400?"

When his co-host replied, "Probably a Daytona 500," Hamlin agreed and said, "One hundred percent. That's fair. We're trying to fix that. We're going to see here in a few weeks. We're trying to fix that, but that's why it is. It doesn't mean that's not prestigious, but it's changed over the years."

Hamlin's comments on the podcast came after Sunday's Brickyard 400 drew criticism from fans because passing under green was extremely difficult, with track position proving far more valuable than race pace.

Hamlin believes the Brickyard still rewards the strongest teams over an entire weekend. Using Corey Heim's No. 67 team as an example, he noted that they had speed from practice through qualifying, besides the well-timed caution during the race.

The JGR driver was also part of the "Inside The Race" podcast, where he, along with analyst Steve Letarte, discussed changes to the new package for Superspeedways that will make its debut at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona in August, which is in a few weeks from now. 

These changes will see the rear spoiler reduced from seven inches to four inches, while horsepower will also be reduced from 510hp to 465hp. The reduction in horsepower won't translate to a reduction in pace. Instead, cars racing not in a pack will be slightly quicker, while the pack speeds are expected to remain the same.

This is what Denny Hamlin was referring to when he said they are trying to ‘fix’ the luck aspect of winning at Daytona International Speedway.

But another driver feels that a different car would provide better quality of racing.

Joey Logano echoes Denny Hamlin's sentiment about the Brickyard 400's prestige

Joey Logano stood on the podium yet again, but he appeared rather frustrated with his P3 finish. Speaking to Jeff Gluck after the race, Logano said that the Cup Series could learn a thing or two from its second-tier division to produce better quality of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Probably an Xfinity car, or whatever they're called now, those cars. These things just, yeah, we can't do it. Just can't get close enough to make a move, get stuck."

Logano argued that the aerodynamic characteristics of the Next Gen car, followed by dirty air, made it extremely difficult for drivers to overtake in green flag stages. 

He also explained that Indianapolis is a track where having multiple racing grooves is essential. Without that, the racing naturally becomes processional, leaving drivers with few options to make something happen. 

But despite his criticism, much like Hamlin, Logano also made it clear that the Brickyard 400 remains one of NASCAR's most prestigious events. 

Read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Yash Kotak