North Wilkesboro Speedway surpassed expectations. When the 2025 All-Star Weekend rolled in, few would have predicted that the exhibition event would have as much action or drama. After all, the Next-Gen car has struggled on short tracks in the past, and the last two iterations at the venue had not lived up to expectations. Joey Logano led 199 out of 200 laps in 2024 while Kyle Larson dominated the year before at the 0.625-mile paved oval. However, this year was completely different.

The aged tarmac changed the dynamics of the race, resulting in 15 lead lap changes. To put things into perspective, that previous record stood at 13 in 2016, highlighting just how much things have changed at the short track. However, Denny Hamlin didn’t warm up to the idea of including North Wilkesboro Speedway on the calendar, despite many fans urging NASCAR to do so.

Denny Hamlin isn’t getting carried away

“North Wilkesboro, best short track on the schedule,” said an elated Christopher Bell during the post-race interview after winning the All-Star Race. Despite leading just 28 laps across four different stints at the short track, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was full of praise for the once dilapidated venue. After all, ‘The Key to the Blue Ridge’ flipped the script during the exhibition event, even earning praise from the legendary Dale Earnhardt Jr., who tweeted, “I love this racetrack. Really glad we got it back.”

Going by the quality of the race, many fans even called for North Wilkesboro Speedway’s inclusion on the Cup Series calendar, a suggestion Denny Hamlin didn’t see eye-to-eye with. Sharing his reasons on the Actions Detrimental podcast, the veteran said, “There’s nothing that makes it more exciting. I think it’s a thought that’s getting embedded in people’s brains, but you’re not going to be able to see anything different. Putting all the cars out there, now you’re going to see 400 laps, the intensity is probably a little less.”

However, Hamlin also made it clear that if North Wilkesboro Speedway is included in the calendar, it should replace an existing track rather than another race being added in the mix. “Sure, let’s do it, but let’s take off another racetrack. Don’t add anymore, that’s for sure. We’ve got enough,” he said. He even namedropped the track he would want to see off the schedule, saying, “Sure, if you’re gonna get rid of the ROVAL, absolutely!” The #11 JGR driver has just one top-10 finish at the ROVAL, so it’s no surprise he wants to see it off the calendar. However, if the 44-year-old has his way, he’ll prefer it if the exhibition event goes back to Charlotte.

“I always loved it when it was at Charlotte, kind of in our backyard here. It showcased some great racing,” said Denny Hamlin, and he has a point. ‘The Beast of the Southeast’ held almost every All-Star Race from 1985 to 2019, and featured plenty of memorable results over the years. Whether it was Darrell Waltrip’s iconic win in the very first year or Junior passing Dale Jarrett on the final lap in 2000, Charlotte Motor Speedway always lived up to expectations.

Denny Hamlin also feels the current All-Star format is hurting the track. Back in 1992, NASCAR flipped the switch and ran the exhibition event under lights for the very first time, and hasn’t looked back since. However, according to the veteran racer, “I think that going to night hurts the racing, I think that there’s no question about that. I think it levels the field off too much.” Perhaps that might be another reason the 44-year-old doesn’t want to see North Wilkesboro included in the Cup Series calendar.

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Hamlin disagrees with the promoter’s caution critics

Even though some called it a ‘gimmick’, the promoter’s caution ended up being a real game-changer at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The yellow flag split the field, and Joey Logano chose to stay out, gambling with the strategy that holding on to their track positions would beat the new Goodyears. Afterwards, the reigning champ went on an emotional rant and even admitted, “Me, and, Marcus Smith, aren’t seeing eye to eye right now” because of the Lap 216 caution, which cost him the race.

However, Denny Hamlin wasn’t having it. The Florida native said, “I think if we did any complaining, we needed to do it before the race and not post. Just simply because while we all might not be in agreement that it’s a good thing or a bad thing, or shouldn’t, is a gimmick or not. Of course it’s a gimmick. I think that it accomplished what it was designed to accomplish. We can argue the merits of whether it should or should not have been there, but I disagree with us about it post-race because it affected you in a negative way.”

Logano’s frustrations are understandable. He led 139 laps at North Wilkesboro, the most during the All-Star Race, but still finished 0.829 seconds behind Christopher Bell when the checkered flag was waved. However, going into the race, everyone knew that the ‘Promoter’s Caution’ was always meant to inject some late drama, and it succeeded in that regard. Even though the Team Penske driver learned that lesson the hard way at the short track.

Do you think the promoter’s caution added much-needed spice to the race? Should North Wilkesboro return as a points race? Let us know all your thoughts in the comments!