Last week, NASCAR announced the new format for the All Star race, including an extension to 250 laps and the addition of a promoter’s caution flag. Shortly after the announcement, rumors circulated that NASCAR had actually proposed adding another element to the race that fans have wanted for years.
“One of the rumors I heard is that a few weeks ago NASCAR kind of floated the idea of ‘Hey, do you guys want to do a run what you brung race at North Wilkesboro for All-Star?’” said Bozi Tatarevic on his Bozi Breakdown podcast. “But unfortunately, teams weren’t up to it.
Denny Hamlin confirmed the rumor on X, writing, “It is true. Ill talk about it Monday, and why the decision was made.”
The time came for Hamlin to elaborate on the topic on this week’s episode of Actions Detrimental. As both a driver and team owner, the No. 11 pilot had a unique perspective on the decision.
The JGR driver explained, “If you’re just talking to me – the race car driver and the fan – I’m going to say I wish we had this. This would be fantastic. There could possibly be something that gets learned for the short track package that could make it better. You know, the thought of having cars that are different speeds than each other is fantastic. That means passing will be more plentiful. There are a lot of positives that could come from that.”
However, from the teams’ perspective, the cost of building this illegal car far outweighs the $1 million prize money for the All Star Race, especially considering each chassis alone costs about $300,000.
On Actions Detrimental today, @dennyhamlin estimates a “run what you brung” All-Star race would potentially cost 23XI Racing $2 million. Conversation starts at the 15-min mark and lasts for 10+ minutes.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) April 28, 2025
“So what we’re going to do is destroy every piece and part of that car and make it lighter or something,” Hamlin said. “Like we’re going to modify it. We’re going to bend the chassis — we’re going to do all types of things to this thing that will make it illegal at any other racetrack that we go to.
“So yeah, can you ask for another chassis? Sure,” Hamlin continued. “But I’m going to spend a million dollars just in parts and pieces that we haven’t even developed anything for yet. So just in parts and pieces to replace all this that we’re going to modify, we’re going to spend a ton of money and it only pays 1 million to win.”
Later in the podcast, the 23XI Racing co-owner estimated it would cost teams over $2 million to build these cars. While the larger teams might have the resources to do such a build, for many, it simply isn’t worth the time and cost to do so.
Related: Denny Hamlin Confirms Teams Rejected NASCAR Idea That Fans Have Wanted for Years
Related: NASCAR Announces Plan To Make All-Star Race More Exciting, Fans React
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