Denny Hamlin calls All-Star weekend a wasted chance to unlock the Next Gen car’s true potential

Denny Hamlin didn't hold back when asked if the 2025 NASCAR All-Star weekend was a missed opportunity to unlock performance from the Next Gen car. Speaking to the media on Friday (May 16) at North Wilkesboro Speedway, the veteran driver-owner said NASCAR may have underutilized the best possible environment to improve its on-track product.

With a stagnant purse and limited technical freedom, Hamlin believes the All-Star exhibition event is a squandered R&D moment. He called out the governing body for playing it safe instead of relaxing key regulations (via ATYL media):

"Possibly there will be others (opportunities) but certainly, we could have loosened up one or two areas and then maybe not had the big financial cost that it would have cost to have. The way I saw it is, here's the things that we're going to police and everything else is kind of open." (0:09 onwards)

The All-Star Race, traditionally a non-points event with a $1 million payday for the winner, returns to North Wilkesboro for a third straight year. While this year's event supposedly carried a 'run what ya brung' spirit, allowing teams some technical freedom, the idea was nixed due to the potential costs involved.

Denny Hamlin also noted that even modest changes could've provided insight into what works and what doesn't on the Next Gen car:

"I just think maybe allowing one or two changes, something that is (at) ride heights... Could it be that we put a 750 (cfm) tapered spacer back on the car? Just some of those things I think could be needle movers that certainly we need to try to get on these cars." (0:33 onwards)

Instead of a complete overhaul or deep-pocket engineering war, he suggested NASCAR could have permitted small but impactful adjustments that wouldn't significantly inflate team budgets. The 750 cfm tapered spacer points to a more powerful engine configuration that was common in previous generations of Cup Series cars, long before the current high-downforce, low-horsepower era.

Denny Hamlin (11) stops for fuel and tires early in the AdventHealth 400. Source: Imagn

In Hamlin's view, even isolated changes like this, especially in a non-point setting, could give teams and NASCAR direction in developing a more competitive on-track package moving forward. For most mid-field teams, the potential upside wasn't worth the R&D expenses.

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"They don't bolster it as much": Denny Hamlin on stagnant purse and All-Star format

Denny Hamlin walks the grid during the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Pit Road Qualifying. Source: Getty

The 2025 All-Star Race purse totals $2,421,400 and the winner's share is $1 Million, as Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports shared on X.

Denny Hamlin was equally pointed about the financial structure of the All-Star Race. When asked about the unchanged $1 million winner's purse, which has stood still since 2003, he said (via Frontstretch):

"It's probably a NASCAR and SMI thing... You can see through the promotions they don't bolster it as much. I mean to win a million you could also finish like third in a normal PGA event... even got watered down a little bit over time... I think sometimes a smaller number with more lead is better." (6:35 onwards)

Beyond the numbers, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran also critiqued how NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports promote the All-Star event and the qualification that reduces the exclusivity of the All-Star field.

Despite the structural critiques, he still believes the All-Star concept holds promise, especially for a sport where injuries are not a concern and full-tilt racing is always possible. As heat races kick off Saturday (May 17) and North Wilkesboro prepares to crown an All-Star winner on Sunday (May 18), Denny Hamlin will feature in Heat 2 at 6:15 PM ET.