“I don’t know about that”: Denny Hamlin reacts to Joey Logano’s suggestion of controversial NASCAR Playoffs being JGR driver's idea

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin recently shed light on a comment made by Team Penske driver Joey Logano about the current playoff format. Logano allegedly claimed that the elimination-style format was the 43-year-old's idea at the time.

Denny Hamlin pilots the #11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing, competing full-time in the Cup Series. With 74 career wins in NASCAR, including 54 in the Cup Series, he has been a consistent force in the stock car racing world. However, despite his impressive track record, the 43-year-old is yet to capture a Cup Series championship.

In a recent episode of Dirty Mo Media's Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin recalled the time when NASCAR was bringing a change to the playoff format and reacted to how Joey Logano allegedly thought the current format was the 43-year-old's brainchild.

"I think when they came up with this, I remember being in, and I think Joey Lagano mentioned that I was in the room when this thought. He said it was my idea. I don't know about that. I was part of the discussions on how we were going to do the stages, how we were going to reward points for stages."

He added:

"They(NASCAR) always looked at how would the champion have changed under this format versus when we did it previously with the chase, with the 10 races. And 85% of the times in the simulation models, and when they ran it, the champion was the same. It just created this more excitement that you're talking about on a weekly basis. And you can't deny that those have been exciting. My only question is, does it put a bug in your, just a little bit of legitimacy of like, it's exciting because you made it exciting."

Denny Hamlin's playoff journey in the 2024 campaign ended at Martinsville Speedway, despite securing a top-five finish after starting from the last position. In 36 race starts this season, Hamlin secured 3 race wins, 12 top-five, and 18 top-ten finishes, and ended the season with an impressive average finish of 13.88.

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Denny Hamlin's 23XI and FRM state “irreparable harm has already been done” in their preliminary injunction appeal

23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports jointly filed an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR and its CEO Jim France in October, following a disagreement in the heavily disputed charter negotiations.

However, 23XI and FRM requested to compete as chartered teams in 2025 despite their refusal to sign the new charter agreement. To their misfortune, U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney on Friday denied a motion for their preliminary injunction.

Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass shared the update on X, outlining the details from when they filed the preliminary injunction.

"In filing, 23XI/FRM:"Irreparable harm has already begun because Appellants cannot assure sponsors, drivers, and fans that they will be able to compete as chartered teams in 2025-a condition that puts those critical relationships with sponsors, drivers, and fans at immediate risk"

Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing, along with Front Row Motorsports have been linked with acquiring a third charter for the 2025 season. However, their ongoing legal dispute with NASCAR could complicate their initiative to expand operations.