Deep inside the dust-up between Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace

Denny Hamlin drives for Joe Gibbs Racing. He’s also the co-owner of 23XI Racing, which has Bubba Wallace efforting to stay alive in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

So, when Hamlin bumped Wallace into the wall toward the end of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, that was going to get folks’ attention, including Wallace’s.

The word “dumbass” may have entered the chat, for instance.

Wallace is, right now, on the outside looking in, with one race left in the Round of 12, which becomes the Round of 8 after this weekend’s Charlotte ROVAL.

Rod Mullins will be down in Charlotte covering the race for AFP.

I chatted with Rod on today’s podcast to get into this Denny Hamlin-Bubba Wallace story, among other things, including the rumors that NASCAR is going to shutter its current playoff format to go back to the way things were down pre-2004.

Matt Kenseth comes up as we talk through that one.

Also, discussion of declining NASCAR ratings, and how politics is playing a role in that.