NASCAR star Denny Hamlin issues blame for Cup Series fiasco at Phoenix

NASCAR Cup Series action at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday was plagued by several tire blowouts, and Denny Hamlin has now revealed who is to blame.

Just as they were at the championship race at Phoenix in November, tires proved a problem once again on Sunday, with Goodyear bringing the same compounds back to the track despite what unfolded at the back end of 2025.

Some were quick to blame NASCAR and Goodyear for the fiasco, but Hamlin says that it's actually the teams and the drivers who are responsible.

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Denny Hamlin on Phoenix tire blowouts

"It’s the teams. We’re just pushing it," Hamlin explained on his Actions Detrimental podcast.

"We certainly know that the lower the air pressure, the faster you’re going to be on the long run, and these teams just keep pushing it.

"So what they do is they get somewhat comfortable in practice, they run the first run of the race, see where things are. Then all of a sudden they’re like, 'Alright, well, let me take another tenth or two out of the tire.'

Drivers can influence the failures

Hamlin was one driver unaffected by the issue, and when asked whether or not his team pushes the limits in terms of pressures, he revealed that the driver can actually make a big difference.

"I think there’s things you can definitely do as a driver to help the situation, especially early in the run," the Joe Gibbs Racing star explained. “But sometimes, the anvil just drops on your head.

“Now, if you’re a repeat offender, if it’s your team or your driver that keeps blowing tires, and your team is screaming, ‘Well, we’re not as low',...it’s a combination of things too.

“It’s not just the air pressure. It’s how much camber you’re putting with that air pressure.

“So if you want to drop your air pressure super super low, just reduce the amount of camber that’s in the tire. But then there’s efficiency, that you lose actual grip on the short run.”

“It’s a fine line," Hamlin concluded. "You want the camber for the short run, you want the air pressure for the long run, and you’re just constantly battling those two out.”