Hamlin SLAMS shock NASCAR rule change

Joe Gibbs Racing star Denny Hamlin has slammed a recent NASCAR rule change, labeling it as desperate.

Last month, ahead of the 2025 Cup Series season opener this past weekend, NASCAR announced a host of rule changes for the new campaign.

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These changes affected a number of issues, but the one that really caught people's eye was the introduction of the 'open exemption provisional' (OEP).

According to NASCAR, the OEP provides a guaranteed starting position for world-class drivers who enter a Cup Series race, although there are conditions.

The rule only becomes a factor, for example, if the entry list exceeds the Cup Series' current starting field maximum of 40 cars, and drivers who hope to make use of the rule need to be pre-approved by NASCAR on a case-by-case basis, with their racing experience and accolades taken into consideration.

Four-time Indy500 winner Helio Castroneves has already revealed his intention to make use of the exemption at the Daytona 500.

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Denny Hamlin on NASCAR rule change

Naturally, when a change is made, not everybody is going to agree with it, and judging by recent comments made by Hamlin, he is not a fan.

The driver of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota spoke to the media ahead of The Clash this past weekend and touched on the issue in a clip shared by The Kenny Wallace Show.

"It reeks of desperation. I don't know how else to say it,” Hamlin told reporters.

"It just feels like you're really trying to get any kind of headline you can to be relevant. I just don't love it."

Hamlin added: "To me, it's a short-term gain, long-term loss,"

"I just think that you're the premier stock car racing series in the US, the premier racing sport in the US, be the big boys and force people to come in here and get their credentials and do it the natural way."

Hamlin concluded: "I don't think it's going to be a big factor really anywhere other than Daytona, but just simply put, saying that someone has a name that interests you in that they're going to have an automatic bid going into the highest form of motorsport in the US, I don't love it."

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