Denny Hamlin, a long-time fixture in NASCAR and currently driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, has raised concerns about a drying well of sponsorship money within the sport of NASCAR.

Denny Hamlin enters the 2025 NASCAR season with a lot on his plate. On the driver's side, Hamlin has a new crew chief (Chris Gayle) after Chris Gabehart was promoted at Joe Gibbs Racing, and FedEx left as a sponsor at the end of 2024.

A provisional that guarantees a driver a starting spot in the NASCAR Cup Series can be a golden ticket to some but in Denny Hamlin’s eyes is a cry for help from the sport. Three-time Daytona 500 winner and 23XI Racing team co-owner Hamlin is a harsh critic of the new ‘Open Exemption Provisional’ (OEP) that encourages and guarantees world-class drivers a spot to compete in the Cup Series.

The No. 11 car doesn't have as many logos and partnerships as it historically has had over the past two decades

Denny Hamlin is seen before the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10, 2024. [Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2025 Racing Annual magazine. Order your copy online today,

If there’s one thing we’ve learned in NASCAR, it’s that nothing stays the same for long. The post Denny Hamlin Publicly Trashes NASCAR’s Bowman Gray Revival in 6-Words appeared first on EssentiallySports.