"Be more proactive instead of re-active" - Denny Hamlin questions NASCAR over Daytona crashes caused by rain

The race at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday was a complete disaster where Denny Hamlin’s car lost traction and took several hard hits, sending him off the track. A multi-car crash brought the 160-lap race to a halt after 139 laps.

Initially, the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race was scheduled for Saturday night. As rain reached Daytona Beach, however, the race was postponed until Sunday morning. Come Sunday, things did not look promising again.

A massive dark cloud emerged above the track, and NASCAR did not issue a rain warning. Rain began to fall quickly and unexpectedly as the drivers entered the third stage. Frontrunners Daniel Suarez, Denny Hamlin, and Justin Haley were among the first to touch the wet surface. They all lost traction and spun their cars. This caused the cars behind them to gather, and a multi-car crash ruined the race.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the incident. Hamlin rebuked NASCAR for failing to warn drivers on time and said:

“Thinking about how we avoid circumstances like we had today. Maybe we should be more proactive instead of re-active? If we wait until the track gets wet isn’t it already too late? You can’t hold off because of the “threat” of rain but when you see it then we should probably stop.”

Denny Hamlin believes that such incidents are avoidable. He went on to say that waiting until the track is wet is not a good strategy. Instead, NASCAR should ensure that the race is stopped as soon as the rain is seen.

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Drivers join Denny Hamlin in criticizing NASCAR for its delay

A multi-car collision following rain is a very unusual situation. It happened in New Hampshire a few years ago and again in the Charlotte All-Star race. Usually, caution can be thrown in time to avoid a collision. NASCAR employs corner workers who inspect the track for debris and can sense when there is sufficient rain to halt the race.

Apart from Denny Hamlin, other drivers were involved in the crash and criticized NASCAR for their actions. Hamlin was one of the race leaders and made contact with the wet surface early on. In a post-race interview with Dustin Long, he stated that "better officiating" from NASCAR could have prevented the incident.

Justin Haley of Kaulig Racing was also involved in the wreck. He pointed out that NASCAR had plenty of time to issue a caution. He added that not issuing a caution was unacceptable. According to Daniel Suarez, NASCAR should have reacted sooner. He said that NASCAR officials have great technology there at the booth to see if the rain is very close