“I’m the one that gets the s**t end of the stick”: Denny Hamlin responds to Alex Bowman’s ‘embarrassing’ statement 

Denny Hamlin responded to comments made by fellow NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman, who called the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) race in Austin, Texas, "embarrassing."

Bowman addressed the race's ending, which included three tries at NASCAR Overtime, in a post-race interview.

“The way we race is embarrassing and if twelve year-olds were doing it we’d be yelling at them, but here we are saying it’s the best thing in the world on TV,” Bowman said.

Denny Hamlin responded to Bowman's comments on his Actions Detrimental podcast, proposing that NASCAR Overtime change to single-file restarts rather than the conventional double-file restarts.

“Bowman afterwards called it an embarrassment. If you want to race clean you will get used up. I agree with that statement. I try my best not to be on this list of responsible for these wrecks, but honestly, I’m the one that gets the s**t end of the stick.” Denny Hamlin said.

Speaking about the need for single-file restarts, Hamlin said:

“We can’t be trusted, clearly. We can’t be trusted. Kimi Räikkönen, at the airport, says, ‘It is stupid. We bumper cars. It’s ridiculous.’ That’s what he said. He’s like, 'It’s not good'.”

Hamlin also proposed a measure that Kyle Busch has previously talked about: putting drivers who cause crashes at the back of the grid. When asked about NASCAR disciplining Hamlin for purposely fencing Ross Chastain in Phoenix, Busch proposed sending cars to the back, much like local short track races do.

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FedEx has almost vanished from Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota

Until 2020, FedEx sponsored every time Denny Hamlin competed in Cup Series, and they continued to be the main sponsors for 30 of his 36 appearances in 2022. However, their commitment in 2023 appears to be the weakest in recent memory. FedEx won't be sponsoring Hamlin during this weekend's Toyota Owners 400 in Richmond either.

Last December, the first indication of problems appeared when Sports Business Journal revealed that the most recent extension of the agreement between Joe Gibbs Racing and FedEx only went as far as this season.

FedEx's reduced involvement may be linked to the cycle of declining revenue that the company is currently going through. It'll be interesting to see how the relationship between Hamlin and FedEx develops.