標籤: Hamlin

NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Corey Day is coming off his first win, driving to victory at Talladega Superspeedway and proving he is one of the top prospects in racing. With a seat potentially opening up next season in the Cup Series at Hendrick Motorsports, there has been some speculation that Day might get a ride at only 21 years old.

Speaking on Day’s win on the latest episode of Action Detrimental, future Hall of Fame driver Denny Hamlin was asked if he thought Hendrick’s top prospect could race in the Cup Series next season.

“Next year? Oh man, that’s quick. I wouldn’t recommend it, but you never know.”

Denny Hamlin on whether Corey Day can reach the Cup Series in 2027

RELATED: Denny Hamlin eyes revenge on fellow driver

• Corey Day Statistics (O’Reilly Series): 399 points, 1 win, nine top-10s, four top-5s, 1 pole, 1 DNF, 191 laps led, 8.09 average starting position, 8.36 average finishing position

Day, who won’t turn 21 until November, is widely viewed as one of NASCAR’s top prospects in 2026. He signed a development contract with Hendrick through 2024 and ran 11 races with the team in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last season.

The young driver of the No. 17 Hendrick car got off to a poor start in his first full-time season in the O’Reilly Series. After qualifying sixth, Day finished 27th at Daytona to start the season. However, in the last 10 races he has finished 12th or better in every race with an average finishing position of 6.5.

Between Day being out at OARS and Alex Bowman having a disastrous contract year, it seems likely the young driver will take over the No. 48 car at least next season. It would be a short-term gamble, but Hendrick can see it as a long-term move to prepare Day for his future with a top team and he will gain valuable experience racing in a consistent Next Gen car.

However, Connor Zylisch is a perfect example of why HMS wants to play slowly with Day’s development. The 19-year-old had a historic dominance in the O’Reilly Series last year, winning 10 races and leading 1,013 laps. Now driving the No. 88 for Trackhouse Racing in his rookie season, he has the third-worst average finishing position (27.0) and fourth-worst average starting position (28.3) among full-time Cup Series drivers through 10 races.

The car and support staff that Day will have in the No. 48 car will certainly be better than the one that worked with Zillisch this season at Trackhouse. However, this could ultimately be detrimental to the young driver as expectations would be higher and his early struggles racing in a top-flight car would be more pronounced.

Hamlin’s advice that Day should spend two full seasons in the O’Reilly Series, with perhaps a few Cup starts mixed in, is probably the right approach for the rising player. If all goes well and he continues to sharpen his racing with experience in OARS, he will soon be in the Cup Series.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

Kyle Busch made headlines before this weekend’s NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway by suggesting he could get paid for comments he made earlier in the week about Denny Hamlin. Since Busch’s on-track performance isn’t adding anything to the feud, he’s now working behind the microphone.

In a recent interview, Busch said that Hamlin played the role of the villainous driver who is winning too much. However, they are not talking much, leaving Hamlin to “run his mouth” and say he “might have to face him again here soon” and that Busch has been “washed up” as a driver.

“He has his own podcast and he’s been running his mouth lately so he might be here again soon… He’s been telling me I’m tired and can’t drive anymore.”

RELATED: NASCAR Insider Highlights Kyle Busch’s Options in Free Agency

To set the record straight, Hamlin never said his former partner was washed up or could no longer drive. Instead, on last week’s episode of Actions Detrimental, the driver of the No. 11 car said Busch should “take it better” amid Richard Childress Racing’s ongoing struggles. Hamlin also said that anyone still holding out hope that Busch would regain his former glory as a consistent winner will be “very disappointed” because the 40-year-old “doesn’t know how to get speed out of a Next Gen car on a consistent basis.”

Hamlin, who has scored 12 Cup Series wins since his last trip to Victory Lane in Busch’s No. 8 car, also compared himself to Busch, saying he “can’t catch that guy’s helmet talent-wise”. Apparently, Bush didn’t hear that part of the segment. It’s also notable that when Busch was on the podcast last year, Hamlin credited him with developing his career.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin gives clear message on Kyle Busch’s struggles

Busch also revealed his “hate list” of fellow NASCAR drivers, which includes Carson Hocevar, Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski. As with Hamlin, the only problem he may cause for them is when he’s going to lag, and probably not for the first time in that race.

NASCAR statistics support this. Over the last six races, Busch ranks 31st in average finishing position (25), which puts him well behind Hamlin (5.3, second), Keselowski (10.0, sixth), Hocevar (14.3, 13th) and even the struggling Logano (19.8, 21st).

RELATED: Kyle Busch winless streak, what’s happened since and before last win

Even in the last 15 races leading up to Talladega, Busch is 21st in average finishing position (20.6), while Hamlin is fifth (11.8), Keselowski is sixth (12.5), Logano is 12th (15.3), and even Hocevar (19.6) is slightly ahead of the future Hall of Famer. None of these drivers can really see Busch as a rival because he is not providing them any competition.

Busch’s frustration with RCR is obvious, but what has brought his struggles even more into the spotlight is that Dillon has been performing better than him this season. Both are forced to deal with RCR providing inadequate support, but the driver of the No. 3 car is handling it better and producing better results.

Notably, Hamlin did not respond to Busch’s weekend comments during Monday’s episode of Actions Detrimental. It will be interesting to see how things play out between the two drivers in the coming weeks, when Hamlin will inevitably tie Busch for a career Cup win and ultimately surpass him this season.

RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series all-time win list, including Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

凯尔·布​​希 (Kyle Busch) 本周末在堪萨斯赛道 (Kansas Speedway) 纳斯卡 (NASCAR) 比赛之前成为头条新闻，他表示他可能会因本周早些时候发表的言论而对丹尼·哈姆林 (Denny Hamlin) 进行报复。由于布希在赛道上的表现并没有增加任何不和，他现在在麦克风后面加倍努力。

在最近的一次采访中，布希表示，哈姆林已经扮演了赢得很多胜利的恶棍车手的角色。然而，他们并没有谈论太多，哈姆林可能会因为“乱说”并说布希作为一名车手“被洗白”而“很快再次在这里遇到”。

“他有自己的播客，最近他一直在胡言乱语，所以他可能很快就会再次在这里遇到……他一直告诉我，我已经精疲力竭了，不能再开车了。”

相关：纳斯卡内部人士透露凯尔·布希在自由球员市场的选择

为了纠正这一记录，哈姆林从未说过他的前队友已经被洗干净或不能再开车了。相反，在上周的《Actions Detrimental》节目中，11 号赛车的车手表示，在理查德·柴尔德里斯赛车队 (Richard Childress Racing) 持续陷入困境的情况下，布希应该“更好地掌控它”。哈姆林还表示，任何仍然期待布希重新夺回昔日冠军荣耀的人“都会非常失望”，因为这位 40 岁的人“不知道如何持续提高下一代汽车的速度”。

自从布希上次驾驶 8 号赛车驶入胜利车道以来，哈姆林已经取得了 12 场杯赛冠军，他还表示，在将自己与布希进行比较时，他“无法在天赋方面抓住这个家伙的头盔”。显然，布希没有听到这部分内容。还值得一提的是，去年布希在播客上时，哈姆林称赞他的职业发展。

相关：丹尼·哈姆林对凯尔·布希的挣扎提出了直言不讳的信息

布希还透露了他对 NASCAR 车手的“仇恨名单”，其中包括卡森·霍切瓦 (Carson Hocevar)、乔伊·洛加诺 (Joey Logano) 和布拉德·凯瑟洛夫斯基 (Brad Keselowski)。与哈姆林的情况一样，他能给他们带来的唯一问题是当他即将被圈时，甚至可能不是在那场比赛中第一次。

纳斯卡的统计数据证明了这一点。在过去的六场比赛中，布希的平均完赛名次（25）排名第 31，这使他远远落后于哈姆林（5.3，第二）、凯瑟洛夫斯基（10.0，第六）、霍切瓦尔（14.3，第 13），甚至落后于苦苦挣扎的洛加诺（19.8，第 21）。

相关：凯尔·布施连续不胜，上次胜利之后和之前发生了什么

即使回顾塔拉迪加之前的最后 15 场比赛，布希的平均完赛名次（20.6）也排名第 21，而哈姆林排名第五（11.8），凯瑟洛夫斯基排名第六（12.5），洛加诺排名第 12（15.3），甚至霍切瓦尔（19.6）也稍微领先于未来的名人堂成员。这些车手中没有一个人能真正将布施视为竞争对手，因为他没有为他们提供任何竞争。

Busch 对 RCR 的失望是显而易见的，但更让他的挣扎受到关注的是 Dillon 本赛季的表现超过了他。两人都被迫应对 RCR，给予他们足够的支持，但 3 号赛车的车手似乎处理得更好，并取得了更好的成绩。

值得注意的是，哈姆林没有回应布希周末在周一的《有害行动》节目中的评论。有趣的是，未来几周，哈姆林将不可避免地与布希并列职业杯冠军，并最终在本赛季超越他，看看两位车手之间的关系可能会受到怎样的影响，这将是一件很有趣的事情。

相关：纳斯卡杯系列赛历史胜利名单，包括凯尔·布希和丹尼·哈姆林

马特·约翰逊 (Matt Johnson) 是《Sportsnaut》杂志《NFL》和《大学橄榄球》的高级编辑。他的工作包括每周 NFL 和大学……有关马特·约翰逊的更多信息

Kyle Busch has not won more than 100 consecutive Cup Series races, punctuating his stellar career that seemingly featured him with more than 80 wins. Now, amid growing skepticism and criticism, Bush appears to be taking issue with recent comments made by his former running mate.

When The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck asked for a reaction to Denny Hamlin’s recent comments about the future Hall of Famer’s struggles in the No. 8 car on Saturday, Busch fired back at his former teammate. He also said that he could create problems for him on the track as payback.

“80 percent of people don’t know what they’re talking about. In this case, I don’t know if Denny Hamlin even knows what he’s talking about. He can curse at me all he wants. I can definitely make his life hell.”

Kyle Busch on Denny Hamlin’s comments and the ongoing conversation about his struggles

RELATED: Denny Hamlin gives clear message on Kyle Busch’s struggles

As for Busch’s aspirations to make Hamlin’s “life hell” with the No. 8 car, that may prove a little difficult if recent history is any guide. He finished 25th at Bristol Motor Speedway and 24th at Martinsville Speedway, meaning he finished several laps behind the No. 11 car. For Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, check out NASCAR’s starting lineup today Hamlin is starting second after posting the second-best lap time (29.161 seconds) in qualifying with a top speed of 185.179 mph, while Busch qualified 23rd at 29.653 seconds with a top speed of 182.106 mph.

It’s understandable why Bush is disappointed. He is approaching his third full season without a win in the Cup Series, and his on-track results are only getting worse. He moved up to 24th in the standings on Sunday, just 7 points ahead of teammate Austin Dillon. Busch’s frustrations are heard over the radio, and it becomes clear that he is fed up with his situation at Richard Childress Racing in a contract year.

Hamlin’s comments came on the latest episode of Actions Detrimental. He also admitted of Busch that “talent-wise I can’t hold that guy’s helmet”, but added that his former teammate “must keep it better than your teammate (Dillon)” and added that Busch has long struggled with the Next Gen car.

Busch clearly heard those comments and said it’s the No. 8 car and team that is the biggest issue, adding that he would be happy to swap places with Hamlin and see how he handles it.

“If Denny wants to swap cars, I’ll swap cars with him any day of the week, any time. I’d love for him to show me he can take it better than me.”

Kyle Busch responds to Denny Hamlin’s comments about No. 8 car, Busch’s struggles

Hamlin never said RCR was blameless in Busch’s winless streak, even saying the team was “not good right now.” However, as someone who used to be teammates with Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, he noted that he struggled with consistency; Even at that time, there were issues.

To that point, Busch had only one win in his final season with Joe Gibbs Racing, and had an average finishing position (16.7). Fast forward to 2026, Busch’s replacement, Ty Gibbs, is racking up wins and six consecutive top-six finishes, while Busch has finished outside the top 20 in the last four races.

RELATED: NASCAR Cup Series all-time win list, including Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin

Busch’s frustration is understandable, and these comments coming from Hamlin may be especially impressive given what has happened over the past three years. Since Busch’s last win in the Cup Series, Hamlin has won 12 races, and now needs just one more trip to victory lane to tie for career Cup Series wins.

Given Busch’s declining performance and some of the public’s frustration towards former teammates and current crew members, he may not even have the options he is entitled to next year after his contract expires.

RELATED: Kyle Busch winless streak, things that happened before and after the win

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

几年前，NASCAR 车手丹尼·哈姆林 (Denny Hamlin) 能够赶上凯尔·布希 (Kyle Busch) 在杯赛系列赛中取得胜利似乎是不可想象的。现在，两位未来的名人堂成员在排行榜上并驾齐驱，哈姆林也参与了他的同行长达两年的挣扎。

在最新一集的《有害行动》中，哈姆林在播客中花了很大一部分时间谈论布希在杯赛系列赛中两年的胜利荒以及他与理查德·柴尔德里斯赛车队的困境。虽然许多球迷很快就把责任归咎于 RCR，并相信布希下赛季将在一支新球队中重拾昔日的辉煌，但哈姆林却持怀疑态度。

“如果你期望凯尔·布希定期回到胜利车道，那你就是在自欺欺人，否则你会非常失望。”

丹尼·哈姆林谈纳斯卡车迷仍期待凯尔·布希重返辉煌

相关：纳斯卡杯系列赛历史胜利名单，包括凯尔·布希和丹尼·哈姆林

Rowdy Nation 的许多人对 RCR 缺乏对 Busch 的大力支持表示批评，8 号车队和赛车本身经常被认为是胜利荒的部分原因。然而，值得将 Busch 与他自己的 RCR 队友之一进行比较。

根据 DriverAverages.com 的数据，在过去 36 场比赛中，奥斯汀·狄龙 (Austin Dillon) 在杯系列赛中以平均完赛位置 (21.1) 排名第 23 位，其中 18 次进入前 20 名，5 次进入前 10 名，并取得一场胜利。在同一时期内，布希的平均成绩也好不到哪里去，平均名次为 19.1，21 次进入前 20 名，6 次进入前 10 名，但获胜次数为零。正如哈姆林还指出的那样，狄龙似乎比未来的名人堂成员更好地处理这种情况，后者应该成为球队的领导者。

“你是名人堂、拉什莫尔山车手，那么，你就比你的队友表现得更好。如果你是最伟大的，那么你就比你赢得 10 场比赛的队友表现得更好。想办法。我认为这是他应该能够做到的，但它没有发生。是时候诚实地面对正在发生的事情了。”

丹尼·哈姆林谈凯尔·布希与理查德·柴尔德里斯赛车队的情况，

相关：凯尔·布希连续不胜，获胜前后发生的事情

其他人则指出纳斯卡转向下一代汽车来解释布希的困境。哈姆林同意他的前队友在驾驶新车时遇到了困难，很大程度上无法学习如何更持续地获得更好的速度。

还有一些人强调了 Busch 在 2023 赛季带领 RCR 取得的三场胜利。然而，哈姆林指出，这些胜利是在每个人都对下一代汽车不熟悉并试图弄清楚它的赛季中取得的。既然其他人都已经弄清楚了事情的真相，布希就是那个在多年后努力适应的人。

“我认为他不知道如何持续地提高下一代赛车的速度。有过一些闪光。是的，他在 RCR 的第一个赛季赢得了三场比赛。那是下一代赛车的第一年，不是吗？当时每个人都在猜测。”

丹尼·哈姆林谈凯尔·布希在早期成功后对下一代汽车的问题

值得称赞的是，RCR 在 2026 赛季之前为 Busch 任命了一位新的车队负责人。八场比赛结束后，广播中已经多次捕捉到布施和车队之间的紧张关系。波尔曼已经与布希合作了几个月，甚至他现在也对车手不断抱怨赛车感到沮丧，并在布里斯托尔比赛期间说“每周都是同样的事情”。

布施可能会在赛季结束后合同到期后离开 RCR，这对于他现在的球队和这位 40 岁的球员来说都可能是一种解脱。正如哈姆林还指出的那样，考虑到布希的年龄和波动性，没有任何一支顶级球队可能会愿意与他较量。如果顶级赛车不是一个选择，并且 Spire Motorsports 决定对丹尼尔·苏亚雷斯驾驶 7 号赛车感到满意（从目前的表现来看，这似乎是合理的），布希明年可能会发现自己处于同样的境地，结果对他来说比他的新车队更受控诉。

相关：早期 NASCAR 愚蠢的赛季预测

马特·约翰逊 (Matt Johnson) 是《Sportsnaut》杂志《NFL》和《大学橄榄球》的高级编辑。他的工作包括每周 NFL 和大学……有关马特·约翰逊的更多信息

23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace had a chance to finish in the top 20 in Sunday’s Cook Out 400, which would have kept him at least in the top seven in the NASCAR standings entering the break. Instead, he got involved with Carson Hocevar in a decision that ruined his day and cost the No. 23 team.

Recaping the race on Monday’s episode of Action Detrimental, driver and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin noted Wallace’s costly action against Hocevar in the final stages.

RELATED: Cook Out 400 winners, losers, including Bubba Wallace

“I understand that Bubba wrecked himself trying to get Carson off the road. He didn’t give up, kept driving out there and ultimately wrecked himself and others because of it. That’s what I believe.”

Denny Hamlin on Bubba Wallace driving at Carson Hocevar at Martinsville

On a restart with 77 laps to go in the Cook Out 400, Hocevar made an aggressive move by going under Wallace in the corner to make it three-wide. The No. 23 driver, who felt his car was performing poorly after showing a lot of pace in practice, seemed to be upset by the move.

On the next lap, Wallace passed his car to the No. 77 and then passed him again into the corner. Hocevar’s car spun, taking out other cars along with it, while the No. 23 car suffered damage late in the race, resulting in a 36th-place finish.

Hamlin also addressed Hocevar’s actions leading up to the incident, which is not uncommon in NASCAR, but is generally viewed as a ‘d***’ move.

RELATED: Carson Hocevar Addresses Comparisons to NASCAR Legend

“It’s normally an ad*** move, if everybody is restarting in Turn 1 on the restart, everybody has to check for the corner, OK? If you’re in row 8, you’re normally checking for turn 1 as quickly as possible. It’s like going into Turn 1 at COTA where someone is just like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to the left and if you guys are going to check-up, I Going to jam it in there. Carson says I’m going to go three-wide again down the stretch in Martinsville. This is not illegal, it is just an ad*** move.”

Denny Hamlin on Carson Hocevar’s actions leading to contact with Bubba Wallace

That doesn’t mean Hamlin condoned Wallace’s actions, which cost the No. 23 team double-digit points and dropped to 11th in points. Instead, it is the future Hall of Famer who explains the specific move that further incensed Wallace and why Hocevar’s move was responded to with hostile action.

Hocevar has driven like this since coming to the Cup Series, and he has made it clear that he is willing to do anything to win. Wallace, at age 32, is an experienced driver whose emotions ultimately only hurt himself and harmed teammates who were not involved in the incident.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

NASCAR 杯系列赛车手泰勒·雷迪克 (Tyler Reddick) 周日在达灵顿 (Darlington) 取得了本赛季的第四场胜利，为 23XI Racing 在赛季开始后仅六场比赛中创下的单赛季胜利纪录。这一切都发生在合同年，纳斯卡愚蠢的赛季即将到来，雷迪克的未来是最大的故事情节。

在周一的《Actions Detrimental》节目中，23XI Racing 的共同所有者丹尼·哈姆林 (Denny Hamlin) 表示，球队应该很快与雷迪克完成续约。

相关：早期 NASCAR 愚蠢的赛季预测，包括泰勒·雷迪克

“是的，是的，毫无疑问。这很快就会完成。他应得的一切，他刚刚做了出色的工作。”

丹尼·哈姆林 (Denny Hamlin) 表示 23XI Racing 和迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan) 将“支持 BRINKS 卡车”以重新签下车手泰勒·雷迪克 (Tyler Reddick)

甚至在代托纳 500 比赛之前，人们就预计雷迪克将与 23XI 签订新合同。 《The Athletic》记者乔丹·比安奇在他的播客中指出，球队预计会“倾家荡产”来留住雷迪克。

这位 30 岁的杯系列赛车手在两个赛季前创造了车队历史，成为第一个赢得常规赛冠军并第四次夺得冠军的 23XI 车手。现在，雷迪克以领先第二名 95 分的优势稳坐 NASCAR 积分榜榜首，他很有可能在三年内赢得两个常规赛冠军。如果本赛季这样做，进入 The Chase 将会获得 25 分的奖励。

相关：为什么科里·海姆没有全职 23XI Racing Cup 骑行

假设雷迪克在未来几周内获得续约，23XI 的两名顶级车手将至少在接下来的两个赛季中签订合同。明年车队也可能会变得更加强大，因为顶级新秀科里·海姆 (Corey Heim) 有望取代莱利·赫布斯特 (Riley Herbst) 全职驾驶 35 号赛车。

对于 23XI 来说，2026 年的竞选已经取得了历史性的成功，距离在法庭上击败 NASCAR 并达成和解以保证车队获得永久特许权仅剩几个月的时间。这场胜利延续到了本赛季，23XI 很有可能在 2026 年接近车主积分榜榜首。

相关：纳斯卡实力排名，看看泰勒·雷迪克和丹尼·哈姆林的排名

马特·约翰逊 (Matt Johnson) 是《Sportsnaut》杂志《NFL》和《大学橄榄球》的高级编辑。他的工作包括每周 NFL 和大学……有关马特·约翰逊的更多信息

NASCAR 杯系列賽車手泰勒·雷迪克 (Tyler Reddick) 週日在達靈頓 (Darlington) 取得了本賽季的第四場勝利，為 23XI Racing 在賽季開始後僅六場比賽中創下的單賽季勝利紀錄。這一切都發生在合約年，納斯卡愚蠢的賽季即將到來，雷迪克的未來是最大的故事情節。

在周一的《Actions Detrimental》節目中，23XI Racing 的共同所有者 Denny Hamlin 表示，球隊應該很快就會與雷迪克完成續約。

相關：早期 NASCAR 愚蠢的賽季預測，包括泰勒雷迪克

“是的，是的，毫無疑問。這很快就會完成。他應得的一切，他剛剛做了出色的工作。”

丹尼·哈姆林 (Denny Hamlin) 表示 23XI Racing 和邁克爾·喬丹 (Michael Jordan) 將“支持 BRINKS 卡車”以重新簽下車手泰勒·雷迪克 (Tyler Reddick)

甚至在代托納 500 比賽之前，人們就預計雷迪克將與 23XI 簽訂新合約。 《The Athletic》記者喬丹·比安奇在他的播客中指出，球隊預計會「傾家蕩產」來留住雷迪克。

這位 30 歲的杯系列賽車手在兩個賽季前創造了車隊歷史，成為第一個贏得常規賽冠軍並第四次奪冠的 23XI 車手。現在，雷迪克以領先第二名 95 分的優勢穩坐 NASCAR 積分榜榜首，他很有可能在三年內贏得兩個常規賽冠軍。如果本賽季這樣做，進入 The Chase 將獲得 25 分的獎勵。

相關：為什麼科里·海姆沒有全職 23XI Racing Cup 騎行

假設雷迪克在未來幾週內獲得續約，23XI 的兩名頂級車手將至少在接下來的兩個賽季中簽訂合約。明年車隊也可能會變得更加強大，因為頂級新秀科里·海姆 (Corey Heim) 有望取代萊利·赫布斯特 (Riley Herbst) 全職駕駛 35 號賽車。

對於 23XI 來說，2026 年的競選活動已經取得了歷史性的成功，距離在法庭上擊敗 NASCAR 並達成和解以保證車隊獲得永久特許權僅剩幾個月的時間。這場勝利延續到了本賽季，23XI 很有可能在 2026 年接近車主積分榜榜首。

相關：納斯卡實力排名，看看泰勒·雷迪克和丹尼·哈姆林的排名

馬特·約翰遜 (Matt Johnson) 是《Sportsnaut》雜誌《NFL》和《大學橄欖球》的高級編輯。他的工作包括每週 NFL 和大學……有關馬特·約翰遜的更多信息

NASCAR Cup Series driver Shane Van Gisbergen’s streak of five consecutive road course wins ended last Sunday at Circuit of the Americas, where he finished second to Tyler Reddick. Viewed by some as the best road-course driver in NASCAR history, he may soon get a challenger.

In the latest episode of “Actions Detrimental” coming from COTA, Denny Hamlin shared his belief that Van Gisbergen’s “road course supremacy” will soon be shared by 19-year-old Cup Series driver Connor Zylisch.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin Praises Another Driver for Great Road Course Improvement

“I think SVG is going to keep company in the road-course dominance bracket. It appears Zylisch is really, really there… I mean he’s already got to pass the race craft and build speed… As the weekend went on, he got better and faster. I think we’re going to be talking about him, certainly for a handful of races here where we’re racing left and right. Will turn.”

Denny Hamlin on Conor Zylisch’s ability to challenge street driving, Shane van Gisbergen

Heading into the NASCAR schedule at Phoenix this weekend, Zylisch has the fifth-fewest points (37) among full-time drivers in the Cup Series. That doesn’t tell the whole story about how well the rookie has been driving the No. 88 car this season for Trackhouse Racing.

While Zylisch finished 33rd in the Daytona 500, he was actually running third on Lap 85 when the car spun slightly and was then involved in a major wreck. The following week at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Zylisch was sixth on the restart on Lap 93 and eighth on Lap 135 before falling back to 30th after getting stuck behind some debris.

RELATED: NASCAR Power Rankings after COTA, see where SVG and Denny Hamlin land

However, the real standout performance came last week at COTA. The No. 88 car struggled in practice and qualifying, resulting in the team starting 25th on Sunday. To his credit, Zilisch made his way into the top 10 at the start of Stage 2. Unfortunately for Trackhouse, he spun in Turn 1 at the start of Stage 2 after being dumped by Daniel Suarez while passing the field No. 88 as it sat sideways.

Remarkably, Zylisch once again moved through the field with one of the fastest cars of the day. Unfortunately, misfortune struck him again in the final stages. In the same Turn 1 with 17 laps to go, Hamlin caused Zillisch’s second spinout when the No. 11 spun into the back of William Byron and effectively pushed the No. 24 into the other cars, resulting in Zillisch’s car spinning.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin predicts how Tyler Reddick finishes in the regular season

Zillisch suddenly found himself back in 32nd place with only 16 laps remaining. He was looking at the possibility of finishing outside the top 30 for the third consecutive race. Instead, he showed his mastercraft on the road courses by maneuvering through the field and moving up to 24th with 10 laps to go, moving up to 17th on the final lap and ultimately finishing the day in 14th.

By the end of the day, Zilisch had made 56 passes throughout the race and finished the day with a more respectable 23 points. He was one of the most impressive drivers so far at COTA on Sunday, showing that he was the only driver at any level last season who could consistently keep pace with SVG on road courses.

The 19-year-old is showcasing his magical skills on the roadways, which can only be matched by someone who is 36 years old and has much more driving experience. Given the year-to-year improvement SVG has shown on ovals since the start of last season, Zylisch’s career trajectory could make him one of the best drivers in NASCAR in just a few years. Until then, he’ll battle SVG to become the best road-course driver in NASCAR this season and beyond.

READ MORE: NASCAR Odds 4 Picks This Week Including Phoenix, Denny Hamlin

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

As most of the spotlight focuses on 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick becoming the first driver in NASCAR history to win the first three Cup Series races of the season, teammate Bubba Wallace is off to the best start of his career. This is, in part, thanks to their improvements on road routes.

Coming off the Circuit of the Americas, where Wallace finished 11th and was in the top 10 in points earned, driver and 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin recently praised Wallace for his road-course improvements on the latest episode of Action Detrimental.

RELATED: NASCAR Power Rankings after COTA, see where Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin landed

“He should be very proud of his development on the road course. He downplays it quite a bit, you know, ‘I struggle.’ The 10 has a solid, back half now on the road to get the pace and his craft going.

Denny Hamlin on Bubba Wallace’s improvements at road courses

This is coming from the Duramax Texas Grand Prix, where Wallace scored a career-best finish at COTA with an 11th-place result after starting the day 24th. Most impressively, this happened when the No. 23 team played for points in Stage 2 (5 points) and then had to start the final stage after pitting near the back of the field.

Wallace was 24th at one point in the final stages before a restart following a caution with 17 laps remaining. He moved up to 16th with 15 laps to go, 12th with 11 laps to go, and in the final laps he passed William Byron to move up to 11th, just behind Hamlin.

RELATED: Denny Hamlin predicts how Tyler Reddick finishes in the regular season

He has now finished top 15 or better in his last three races on the road course, including an eighth-place finish at Watkins Glen last August. Over the past two years, spanning from the COTA race on March 24, 2024, to March 1, 2026, Wallace’s average finishing position is 16.16.

Keep in mind this also includes the Chicago Street Race last summer where he was 6th with 6 laps to go before getting into it with Alex Bowman and eventually spinning out. Ultimately he finished 28th.

Wallace has become the caliber of driver that Hamlin envisioned when he brought him to 23XI Racing. It shows this season, with Wallace’s improvement on road courses and the fact that he is currently second in points with the third-highest average finishing position (9.7) and second-most laps led (86) in the Cup Series. Redick and Wallace have become 23XI’s top drivers, and the team’s future could be even brighter next season, with top prospect Corey Heim expected to join the team full-time as a replacement for Riley Herbst.

READ MORE: 23XI Racing driver Riley Herbst an option for another Cup team in 2027

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

在戴通納 500 賽結束後，車手丹尼·哈姆林 (Denny Hamlin)、克里斯托弗·貝爾 (Christopher Bell) 和蔡斯·布里斯科 (Chase Briscoe) 發現自己在積分榜上排名第 30 位或更差。雖然對於這項運動中三位最好的車手來說恐慌還為時過早，但哈姆林確實相信，距離車手們真正開始擔心的時間只有幾週了。

在第一 有害行為 在本賽季的一集中，哈姆林表示，他認為杯賽系列賽的車手在大約五到六場比賽後將開始關心他們在積分排行榜上的位置。

相關：代托納 500 賽後 NASCAR 積分榜

“五到六場比賽，五到六場。我認為這可能是正確的數字。”

丹尼哈姆林 (Denny Hamlin) 談納斯卡 (NASCAR) 車手在賽季的什麼時候會開始擔心積分總數

相比之下，蔡斯·布里斯科（2 分）、丹尼·哈姆林（8 分）和克里斯托弗·貝爾（9 分）的總得分比第 21 位科迪·韋爾（20 分）要少。 2025 年錦標賽 4 隊的兩名成員——哈姆林和布里斯科——落後第一名的泰勒·雷迪克 50 多分，並遠遠落後於諾亞·格拉格森（27 分），爭奪第 16 個也是最後一個季後賽席位。

贏了就進的日子已經一去不復返了，因此賽季開局緩慢可能會對頂級車手的季後賽希望造成很大損害。即使領先優勢可以在常規賽的整個過程中被克服，新的 10 場追逐賽賽制也讓常規賽前三名車手比其他車手擁有巨大的積分優勢。

了解更多：代托納之後的 NASCAR 實力排名

現在，實際上，我們可能不會在 16 名車手的季後賽陣容中看到像贊恩·史密斯（41 分）、小瑞奇·斯滕豪斯（39 分）、萊利·赫布斯特（35 分）和丹尼爾·蘇亞雷斯（35 分）這樣的人，而不是貝爾、哈姆林和布里斯科。在接下來的三到四場比賽中，積分榜可能會恢復正常。

話雖如此，接下來的賽程對於一些頂級杯賽車手來說至關重要。在即將到來的賽道（EchoPark Speedway、COTA、Phoenix Raceway、Las Vegas Motor Speedway 和 Darlington Raceway）上表現出色對於最優秀的車手有機會贏得今年晚些時候的冠軍至關重要。

可能發生的情況是，在 4 月第一周的周末休息之後，繼馬丁斯維爾賽道的 Cook Out 400 比賽之後，一些著名的車手和車隊可能會陷入深淵，贏得杯賽系列賽冠軍不再成為現實的結果。一些車手甚至可能發現自己現在正在與卡森·霍切瓦爾（Carson Hocevar）、凱爾·布施（Kyle Busch）、布拉德·凱瑟洛夫斯基（Brad Keselowski）和小斯滕豪斯（Stenhouse Jr.）等人展開真正的爭奪，爭奪十場比賽的最後席位。

相關：丹尼·哈姆林預測誰將贏得 2026 年 NASCAR 冠軍

馬特·約翰遜 (Matt Johnson) 是《Sportsnaut》雜誌《NFL》和《大學橄欖球》的高級編輯。他的工作包括每週 NFL 和大學……有關馬特·約翰遜的更多信息