Last year’s NASCAR All-Star Race left Denny Hamlin frustrated. Joey Logano dominated the event, leading 199 of 200 laps after starting from pole, and Hamlin criticized the race’s lack of excitement on his Actions Detrimental podcast.
He said fans were more interested in the post-race fight between Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Kyle Busch than the race itself. Hamlin also slammed the unchanged $1 million prize, calling it outdated, and was disappointed that NASCAR’s new option tire failed to enhance the racing due to its minimal wear and limited passing opportunities. He even suggested repaving the track to create more tire degradation.
Fast forward a year, NASCAR introduced a bold idea for the 2025 All-Star Race: a “Run What Ya Brung” format, allowing teams to build any setup as long as they used approved Next Gen parts and passed safety checks. The race would also expand to 250 laps with unique features like a scheduled break at Lap 100 and a surprise caution to tighten the field. Qualifying and heat races were also revamped.
However, the proposal received swift backlash. Hamlin, both a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and co-owner of 23XI Racing, explained why it was unrealistic. He said the format would force teams to overspend, with each car costing around $300,000—and likely ending up destroyed after the race. Smaller teams simply couldn’t afford that kind of investment, leading to unfair advantages for powerhouse teams like Penske, Gibbs, or Hendrick.
Hamlin also dismissed the idea of teams agreeing on limits to modifications, saying no one could trust others to follow unwritten rules. He compared the situation to the NFL Draft, implying that competition always leads to ruthless tactics, as seen in the Shedeur Sanders controversy.
While most teams rejected the idea, some like Team Penske embraced it, with their president Michael Nelson and crew chief Brian Wilson saying they welcomed the challenge. Still, Hamlin argued NASCAR should invest in fixing short track racing instead of burdening teams with extra costs.
Meanwhile, at Talladega, Hamlin accidentally triggered a crash involving his teammate Christopher Bell. Though Bell stayed calm and didn’t blame him, Chris Buescher’s team was less forgiving. The incident showed just how fragile superspeedway racing remains under current rules.
