Denny Hamlin heaps praise on “elite speedway racer” Ryan Blaney after yet another Talladega triumph 

Ryan Blaney won the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend with Denny Hamlin making a sensational comeback to finish fourth. He was promoted to third position after Kevin Harvick's disqualification.

Following Blaney's third win at the 2.66-mile superspeedway in Alabama, Hamlin has put him in the elite bracket of speedway racers. Hamlin heaped praise on his rival in the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, saying:

"We had Ryan Blaney taking the 'Dub', his third win at Talladega Superspeedway, he is an elite speedway racer."

Denny Hamlin's discussion on Superspeedway racing with co-host Jared Allen then delved into how the next-gen cars limited the driver's potential. Hamlin argued that the next-gen machinery introduced in 2022 doesn't allow a skilled speedway racer to showcase his prowess like the previous cars did.

The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver confirmed that the rest of the "elite" speedway racers felt the same.

"I had conversations with what I deemed probably the most talented speedway racers before the race […] about what do you feel as though the next-gen superspeedway racer? Can you show your skills as much as I believe you’re good at this? Do you feel like your skills are shown as much now with next-gen superspeedway racing or not?"

After a few failed attempts at pronouncing 'unanimously', Hamlin added:

"And all of them unanimously said no! They said not as much..."

On the other side of the argument, Hamlin added that the cream still rises to the top. Hence, the same guys keep winning at the big ovals irrespective of the machinery.

"You still can’t argue that the top guys find their way to the front at some point or another, which is why Ryan Blaney won again—he’s won in Gen-6; he has won in Next Gen now. So, he counters that argument a little bit."

Ryan Blaney has won nine races in the Cup Series and more than half of those victories have come on speedway tracks. With his latest victory at Talladega, he continues his playoff run into the Round of 8, carrying Team Penske's title hopes.

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NASCAR analyst names 'on a high' Denny Hamlin as strongest playoff contender

NASCAR ace Kyle Petty has ranked Denny Hamlin above the rest of playoff drivers, including Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr. This comes following the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver's masterful drive to bag a third-place finish at Talladega.

“When it’s your year, it’s your year and this appears to be Denny’s year because of these little things we’re watching right now,” he said on NBC podcast.

“Right now, Denny is on a high. They can do nothing wrong. They can speed on the pit road. They can do whatever they want to do and they’re going to salvage a top five,”

Petty added that the onus is now upon Denny Hamlin to deliver a trouble-free weekend in the championship race at Phoenix to claim his maiden title.