Denny Hamlin wants to see NASCAR make a change to the length of caution periods across the board. The comments came on the driver’s “Actions Detrimental” podcast following the race weekend in Martinsville.
The driver of the No. 11 believes NASCAR is spending too much time under caution.
The 45-year-old acknowledged that the TV companies want to catch pit stops live and uninterrupted, but believes they can still make a change where cautions can be shorter.
Denny Hamlin on NASCAR caution length: ‘We’re running too long’
In the latest episode of the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s podcast, Hamlin made it clear how he felt about the length of NASCAR cautions. The comments were highlighted by motorsports insider Jeff Gluck via X.
“We’re running too long under caution. We have to find a way to shorten them up, but we won’t shorten them up as long as we’re doing what we’re doing in the sense of ‘TV has to catch the pit stops live,’” Hamlin said.
There is one remedy Hamlin suggested if the TV companies want to broadcast live pit stops, which is shortening commercials.
The 61-time Cup Series winner went on to say he watched the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday. As a viewer, Hamlin was not pleased by what he saw in terms of caution length.
“It was a single-car wreck, there’s [no] debris on the track, there’s no clean-up to be had, and it’s just yellow, yellow, yellow. I’m like, ‘Choose already,’” Hamlin said.
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series circuit took to the Martinsville Speedway on Saturday for the NFPA 250.
Of the 250 laps run, 97 of them were run under caution to make up 14 caution flags, meaning nearly half of the originally scheduled race ran under the caution flag.
There were only five cautions in Sunday’s Cup Series Cook Out 400, but they still totaled 54 caution laps.
Denny Hamlin fell short of Martinsville win after dominant performance
It was not meant to be for Hamlin to win his seventh Cup race at the Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.
The two-time Cup Series runner-up led a race-high 292 of 400 laps. It is the most laps Hamlin has led in a single race since Richmond 2009.
However, a strategy call for Chase Elliott cycled him to the front, allowing him to assume the lead late and fend off Hamlin for the victory. It was the first win of 2026 for the driver of the No. 9.
Despite the dominant run, Hamlin had to settle for second on Sunday. Still, it was a quality points day for the 23XI Racing co-owner.
Hamlin jumped from fourth to third in the standings after Martinsville. The veteran driver has a win this season at Las Vegas, coupled with three top fives and four top 10s.
Through 20-plus years of racing the NASCAR Cup Series, Hamlin has accomplished just about everything. That excludes a NASCAR Cup Series title, however, as the Virginia native still seeks his first Cup title in 2026.
Hamlin joined Joe Gibbs Racing for his rookie season in 2006. He has spent his entire career driving the No. 11 car for the organization, amassing 61 career Cup wins.
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