Denny Hamlin gave his thoughts on the future of North Wilkesboro Speedway in NASCAR. The current Cup Series points leader’s comments came on the heels of his runner-up finish in last Sunday’s Window World 450 at the North Carolina short track.
North Wilkesboro was reintroduced to NASCAR in 2023 and hosted the All-Star Race for three years. Last Sunday, the Cup Series raced at North Wilkesboro in a points-paying race for the first time since 1996.
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With the 2027 NASCAR schedule still unclear, it has yet to be determined what North Wilkesboro’s future looks like.
Hamlin wants NASCAR to return to North Wilkesboro in 2027
On the recent episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Hamlin weighed in on the on-track product at North Wilkesboro last Sunday.
While the driver of the No. 11 did not specify if he would like to see another points race at the 0.625-mile oval, the 45-year-old would like to see it back on the schedule in some capacity.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m for a race at North Wilkesboro, how about that? That’s where I’ll stand on it,” Hamlin said.
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Hamlin praised the multi-groove racing that North Wilkesboro brought out on Sunday and compared it to Bristol, the 0.5-mile short track that underwent changes to make it less of a one-groove short track.
“It’s a racey track. It reminds me a lot of Bristol. When they changed Bristol from its one groove track and then they re-concreted it, put variable banking, they ground it — next thing you know, we were racing all around Bristol from the bottom to the top,” Hamlin said.
What Hamlin also found similar about North Wilkesboro and Bristol is that the competitors embrace a multi-groove track, contrary to fan opinion.
“I can tell you from a competitor standpoint, we were like, ‘This is freaking awesome.’ Every lane runs the same speed, so if you’re faster, you just go to a different lane, and the fans hated it. That’s why they ended up grinding the very top of the racetrack, because they wanted to get us off the top,” Hamlin said.
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The multi-groove racing surface is what drivers enjoy about North Wilkesboro, Hamlin said, and added that making the track more narrow would not be a benefit for competition.
“I feel like it’s sort of like this where the drivers probably like it because you’ve got some options. There’s a little bit less contact just simply because you got so much more room to move around, but if you narrowed up that racetrack, passing would be extremely difficult,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin extended points lead after strong North Wilkesboro run
Although he had his moments, Hamlin ultimately fell short of his fifth win of the 2026 Cup Series season on Sunday night at North Wilkesboro. The Joe Gibbs Racing star finished runner-up to Joey Logano, who led a race-high 323 of 450 laps en route to victory.
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However, a positive for Hamlin was that his points advantage grew. With five races remaining until The Chase, Hamlin holds a 68-point lead over Tyler Reddick, who sits in second. Ryan Blaney is third in the standings, 87 points behind Hamlin.
All three drivers have clinched a spot in The Chase. Hamlin has four victories on the season, including three straight at Nashville, Michigan, and Pocono, respectively. His first win of the campaign came at Las Vegas last March.
In his 21st full-time season of NASCAR Cup Series competition, Hamlin still seeks his first championship.
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