NASCAR is leaving nothing to chance. After the race manipulation allegations at Martinsville Speedway last year, the sanctioning body has revised its rulebook to ensure a repeat of the incidents don’t take place in 2025. Apart from wanting to preserve the integrity of the sport, the underlying motivation behind the change in rules may have something to do with betting. The stock car racing series has been looking to explore more opportunities to engage with fans and has been moving towards online sports gambling in recent years.

Denny Hamlin is not surprised by NASCAR changing its rulebook. Situations such as those that transpired at the 2024 Xfinity 500 will come back to hurt the stock car racing series, as questions being raised about the sport’s legitimacy will inevitably affect its gambling prospects.

Denny Hamlin highlights the underlying reasons behind rule changes

NASCAR has seen a significant pivot in recent years. The stock car racing series became the first sport to partner with the American Gaming Association in 2021, joining hands with the likes of BetMGM, WynnBET, and Penn Entertainment to help set the betting odds by providing data. Last year, Speedway Motorsports signed a market access agreement with BetMGM and Charlotte Motor Speedway to bring the betting platform to the state and NASCAR came to an agreement with DraftKings to allow the digital sports entertainment and gaming company to operate in North Carolina.

With an estimated $610.7 million in revenue at stake, Denny Hamlin knows that NASCAR cannot ignore the ‘race manipulation’ issue any longer. Sharing his thoughts on the Actions Detrimental podcast, the veteran racer said, “I appreciate what they’re trying to do, and that is keep the integrity of the sport. We have this thing, the old ‘dam of legitimacy’ with NASCAR right? And it’s got a lot of cracks in it and we’re just trying to stop the water from flowing here right? So I think, this is you know, they had seen too much from Martinsville and said, ‘It’s getting out of control now’.”

Gambling is a big source of income stream for the stock car racing series, one that they won’t compromise on given that their sport’s integrity is also on the line. Questions must have been raised by the gaming commission in the aftermath of the 2024 Xfinity 500, where Bubba Wallace appeared to have slowed down to let Christopher Bell make the pass while Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain seemed to be blocking the grid to ensure William Byron made it to the Championship 4. Denny Hamlin also touched on how gambling corporations would have reacted to the Martinsville fiasco, saying “You’re gonna have the gaming commission calling up NASCAR saying, ‘What the hell, you mean you guys can dictate who finishes where?”

In 2020, NASCAR put a policy in place that prohibits drivers, team owners, crew members, and officials from betting in the races to avoid controversy. However, incidents such as the ones that occurred in the penultimate race of the 2024 season put the entire sport in a bad light. Shedding light on the circumstances, Denny Hamlin went on to say, “When you bet on NASCAR as a consumer, you’re hoping you get the same integrity as you get in the NFL now. There’s the person paying out these bets, but it’s also people probably making the lines. They’re basing it off of what a normal played out finish would be.”

NASCAR has devised a few new rules ahead of the 2025 season. The sanctioning body will award an additional point for the fastest race lap, which could potentially result in more race manipulation situations. In a sport defined by fine margins, a single point can make all the difference in the long run, potentially swinging a playoff spot in their favor. However, with gambling being an important aspect of the sport, misuse of the new regulations could prompt the sports hierarchy to immediately crack down on the bonus points as well.

Hamlin optimistic about his partnership with Chris Gayle

Denny Hamlin has quite a lot to look forward to in 2025. The 44-year-old’s former crew chief Chris Gabehart has been switched to Joe Gibbs Racing’s competition department, replacing Wally Brown in the team. As a result, Chris Gayle will be taking over the No. 11 Toyota team from atop the pit box, shifting his allegiance from Ty Gibbs. While the news came as a “shock” for the veteran racer initially, the driver is now looking forward to teaming up with Gayle for the upcoming campaign.

Sharing his thoughts ahead of the season-opener, Hamlin said, “Yeah, we’re learning each other. Certainly, it’s a process. We’re not going to just figure each other out right off the bat. I’m trying to do things as I did before, and he’s trying to understand that. I also am trying to give him the full free rein to kind of do things however he sees fit as well. He got to this position for a reason. You’ve got to always trust your leadership to make the right calls.” Having finished third at the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray, the racer concluded by saying, “I feel like it’s getting off to a good start”

Having won ‘The Great American Race’ thrice before, Denny Hamlin will hope to hit the ground running at the Daytona 500. The No. 11 Toyota driver is currently on a 25-race winless streak in the NASCAR Cup Series but will hope to overturn his fortunes as soon as possible this year. Given the changes that have been made at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025, could this finally be the year Hamlin lifts the elusive Bill France Cup at Phoenix Raceway? Time will tell.