“Might be a stretch”: Denny Hamlin’s crew chief questions NASCAR Insider’s take on Next Gen superspeedway racing

Denny Hamlin's crew chief Chris Gabehart has disagreed with Brett Griffin after the latter praised the NextGen car's performance at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. Gabehart didn't downplay the Coke Zero Sugar 400 race as entertaining but opined that claiming it to be a "great" race might be far-fetched.

The Daytona race marked the 25th battle on 2024's 26 regular-season races calendar. Michael McDowell brought the field to start, with his teammate Todd Gilliland in second. Josh Berry secured the Stage 1 win while Joey Logano dominated the second stage. Multiple crashes reset the field and threw several leaders out of contention. During the final lap, Harrison Burton overtook Kyle Busch at the last minute to seal his career's first and Wood Brother Racing's 100th victory.

DIS is a two-mile superspeedway. Since NextGen car's inception in 2022, they have struggled at superspeedways, as the drivers don't have much thrust to swoop past their rivals. But the Daytona race was different. It witnessed 16 leaders and 40 lead changes before Burton reigned supreme.

One fan was unhappy with NextGen car's display at superspeedways but Brett Griffin replied to their criticism by citing the car's portrayal as "best" at Daytona.

"The next gen car has been a challenge at superspeedways but last night was the best it has been for a true “race” for the competitors and the fans," Griffin wrote on X.

Denny Hamlin's crew chief had a differing opinion.

"When was the last SS (superspeedway) race where you were watching and said, 'Man, that was a great move' from the 3rd row or further back when the pack was actually running hard? I'm not saying you weren't entertained last night. But to say the racing is great might be a stretch," Gabehart tweeted.

Of all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, only Denny Hamlin succumbed to a DNF. Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs rounded top-5 finishes while Martin Truex Jr. finished 24th.

Denny Hamlin opens up on the 'Big One' at Daytona which marked his fourth DNF

Denny Hamlin initiated his race from 19th place and finished 18th in the first stage. However, before he could wrap up his second stage, a massive crash ensued and collected 16 cars, including the three-time Daytona winner's #11 Toyota.

A wreck between Noah Gragson's #10 Ford and Corey LaJoie's #7 Chevy triggered the big pileup on Lap 60. While several drivers could resume the race, Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Gragson, and Ryan Preece couldn't.

The JGR driver outlined that he wasn't sure what caused the pileup as no one was aggressive but pointed out LaJoie turning in front of him.

“I’m not really sure. Everyone was saving gas, so I didn’t really think anyone was being too aggressive, but the first thing I saw was the 7 (LaJoie) got turned in front of me,” Hamlin said (via NASCAR).

The opening 35-lap stage allowed the drivers to go flat out for points. However, Stage 2 and the final stage, comprising 60 and 65 laps, respectively, required at least one refueling stop. Thus, the pack was careful with its fuel strategies.