Denny Hamlin sounds off on NASCAR potentially considering replacing Dover’s point race

Denny Hamlin reflected on a potential All-Star race at Dover Motor Speedway and deemed it 'not the best choice.' He was concerned that the All-Star format is built around short sprints, while Dover requires extended green flag runs before the racing groove widens and allows any passing.

Last week, The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi reported that NASCAR considered Dover for an All-Star race next year. The move appears to be an attempt to give North Wilkesboro Speedway a points race, but the decision could prove controversial.

Dover doesn't have any lights to host a night race, and the concrete track needs to be rubbered to use multiple lanes. All-Star races are all about stages, segments, and sprints, all of which would prove ineffective at the 'Monster Mile'.

Reflecting upon the same, Hamlin spoke his mind on the latest episode of Actions Detrimental.

"Hopefully, they're not thinking this one all the way through, but this is not the best choice. Dover is just not an all-star type of racetrack. That track is one where it needs rubber on the racetrack to then widen out and then you can start making passes. But that doesn't happen until 30, 40 laps into a run. And the All-Star race is made up of short runs and so there's just not going to be any passing," Denny Hamlin said. [8:44 onwards]

Notably, Denny Hamlin won this year's event at Dover Motor Speedway. The track used to appear twice on the Cup Series calendar, but only once now.

Dover is owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc., which also operates North Wilkesboro Speedway. If SMI wishes to give NWS a points race, it could look at other tracks on its roster, like Atlanta and Bristol, as both tracks are capable of a night race.

The spring Bristol race can be swapped for an All-Star weekend, and the recently concluded Atlanta race in July had a strong showcase that befits such an event.

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Denny Hamlin holds Tyler Reddick responsible for winless season

On the same episode of Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin went over Tyler Reddick's performance dip in a winless season so far. He theorized that the No.45 team has been lacking when compared to Bubba Wallace's side of the garage.

"Bubba's definitely performing better than he was last year. So did the cars get better or did Bubba get better? Riley, just, It's too hard to tell because of the inexperience," Hamlin said.

"It seems like a 45 thing, you know. I don't know it's a company thing because 23 is certainly having another career year, like every year is a new Bar," he added.

After Austin Dillon's win at Richmond, Tyler Reddick is up against Alex Bowman for the final spot in the playoffs if a new winner emerges at Daytona. While the Toyota driver has a 29-point lead over Bowman, a race win would lock him into the playoffs.

Early in the season, Denny Hamlin shared his expectations of the 23XI Racing drivers. As a team owner, he admitted that a winless prospect would force him to look elsewhere for talent.