"Our interests are not aligned": Denny Hamlin opens up on conflict between NASCAR and the teams over race start times

After Michigan, Denny Hamlin opened up on the conflict of interest between NASCAR and the teams. The Cup race at Michigan which was scheduled to finish on Sunday, was postponed because of the weather to 1 p.m. local time (ET) on Monday.

Following the race, Hamlin was presented with a hypothetical scenario on an episode of his podcast "Actions Detrimental" by his co-host, Jared Allen. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was asked to imagine a scenario in which the charter negotiations were going great, after which NASCAR would go to the next issue of TV negotiations, in which TV broadcasters would offer it less money to have a race at 1:00 p.m.

Allen asked Hamlin whether, as a team owner, he'd be okay with that proposition of taking less money for a race that starts at 1:00 p.m. so that fans can see the race in person.

"This is where the interests of the teams and NASCAR does not align. NASCAR is wanting to get whatever dollar, every penny of media that they possibly can because that's money that goes in their pockets. For us as teams, which is what we've been saying for years and years and years, we're so sponsorship based, so when you take us and you put us on all these other networks, and all these other start times, I hate to say it, it gets confusing," Denny Hamlin said.

"This can't be easy. You're going to have your avid fans that are going to just figure it out. But that number is just not as big as it needs to be. So, I just feel like our interests are not aligned," he added.

Denny Hamlin further said he wants to have all the races on the big networks like FOX or NBC. He gave the example of IndyCar, which took less money for more eyeballs on a big network because they figured it would eventually help the teams who are dependent on sponsorship, which would in turn help the sport's reach grow.

Hamlin added that in this scenario, IndyCar was also in a position to leverage more money for a subsequent TV deal.

Speaking further about his opinion on the subject on his podcast, Hamlin pointed to NASCAR "chasing" ratings.

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Denny Hamlin doesn't understand why NASCAR starts late, claims they're "chasing" ratings

Appearing on the aforementioned podcast episode, the NASCAR Cup Series' #11 driver Denny Hamlin said that the big shower that ended up postponing the race on Sunday was the last one for some time. So, had the race started earlier and not late, Hamlin believes they would have had the time to get through the whole race or be left with 100 laps or so instead of 150.

Hamlin added that while he may not have all the information, he's confident with his belief about the sport going after ratings with late-race start times.

"We have chased ratings for so long. We’re willing to be on different networks and we’re going to streaming and our start times are all over the place. Just chasing ratings. Chasing it. Is that the best thing for the sport versus having, you know, at Sunday, one o’clock you have a race to watch?" Denny Hamlin said.

Hamlin further claimed that he understands NASCAR starting a race late on a big network, but in the current scenario, when the race is to be resumed on USA Today, he doesn't understand the idea of starting the race late, adding that what NASCAR is hoping to achieve is "such a damn stretch."