NASCAR star delivers a brutal reality check after fans turned off the championship race

A little self-reflection never hurt anyone.Every league should do it, frankly.

There are always things to improve upon after a season.No matter if it went good, bad or indifferent, every league can do better.This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners.

If you sign up or place a wager, FOX News may be compensated.This content was created by a team that works independently from the FOX newsroom.NASCAR is no different.

In fact, I'd argue this is maybe the most consequential offseason the sport has faced in some time.NASCAR'S NEW VILLAIN PICKS ANOTHER VICTIM AND FANS WANT HIM PARKED, DRIVER FLIES WITH TRUMP & RATINGS REBOUND?The big question? How do they get folks watching — and following — the series again? That's not me talking, by the way.That comes straight from the mouth of Denny Hamlin, NASCAR's oldest and biggest star.Denny Hamlin looks on during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., on Nov.

7, 2026.(Getty Images)"We have got to find a way to grow this thing and make it more relevant in the sports landscape, because it's just falling behind others in my opinion," Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast on the heels of Sunday's anticlimactic championship race."Our sport is different.

It's not this one-v-one and it's either you or me, you know, and so we have to just embrace that this is what we wanted.We wanted a bigger sample size for the champion for it to feel right.

I think it feels right.And so, it's going to always feel a little different, but it's our jobs as a sport to make it relevant in sports."And that's that's what I challenge more than anything ...

we have got to make our sport relevant again when it comes to the general sports landscape."HAS NASCAR LOST THE SOUTH? EX-DRIVER UNLOADS AFTER SEEING "100,000 EMPTY SEATS"Amen, Denny! Say it louder for the people in the back.Shout it.

I've been saying NASCAR has a relevancy problem all season l...