What Denny Hamlin and Dirty Mo Media have done with this NASCAR bracket challenge is nothing short of awesome. Fans are now going to be able to bet on the bracket matchups on Caesar Sportsbook. The more this goes on, the more momentum the idea picks up.
While it happened quietly, it is here after just one race on the Denny Hamlin Bracket Challenge. Hamlin wanted to inject some interest and passion into NASCAR, and he got exactly that. Last week, Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson were coincidentally paired up on the bracket, and they ended up fighting after the race.
This week we have 16 drivers still in the challenge, including Hamlin and Chastain. The matchups are very interesting this week. Denny just so happens to be paired up with Kyle Larson.
Other matchups include Trackhouse Racing teammates Chastain and Daniel Suárez. William Byron faces off with Tyler Reddick. Then Cup Series champs Joey Logano and Chase Elliott battle it out. Brad Keselowski, Aric Almirola. Ryan Blaney vs. Bubba Wallace. Kevin Harvick against Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finally, Josh Berry takes on Austin Dillon.
Nick Giffen, the RotoDoc, with Action Network, picked up on the new addition at Caesars.
For those that need a quick refresher, the bracket challenge was set up with the Cup Series drivers based on the points standing at the time, which was the week before Kansas. The idea is simple, it is a head-to-head matchup between two drivers. Whichever driver beats the other one, regardless of position, moves on.
Denny Hamlin happy with bracket challenge so far
Leading into this weekend, Denny Hamlin has been pretty happy about his new idea. NASCAR fans have taken to it with a passion and it feels like everyone is in on it. I’m sure he’s nervous about having to beat Kyle Larson again, but the popularity of his bracket challenge has been pretty cool.
Hamlin also happened to take credit for the Chastain and Gragson fight, jokingly. He knows it is about what went down on the track, but he can’t help but feel he played a little bit of a role.
“Okay, so let me tell you,” Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast. “When I was talking about, before the race, the drivers knew who they were matched up against. Noah says, ‘Who do I got?’ And I said, ‘Chastain.’ He was like, ‘Oh well.’ So you knew it was in his mind. He knew it was in his mind. And so, are we fueling fights over here?”
This week, who knows what damage the Denny Hamlin Bracket Challenge can cause? Having to beat out Larson for another week won’t be easy. But we’ve gotten more storylines, more fun, and now more ways to make a little extra cash… or lose it all.
