It’s no secret that Denny Hamlin is openly advocating for the Chicago Street race to stay on the calendar. Despite the practice malfunction that robbed him of a qualifying run for Sunday’s Grant Park 165, the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 is a fan of the event. Hamlin doubled down on the event’s importance to the city’s pulse, making comments that oval racing purists would not want to hear.

To Hamlin, this street course spectacle has transcended just another race weekend. He believes the street circuit races have sparked engagement among locals and visitors by boldly stepping into fan territory, usually untouched by oval racing.

Denny Hamlin doubles down on Chicago street race buzz

In a pre-race media session, Hamlin was asked whether NASCAR should stay in Chicago next year. Without hesitation, he fired back, saying, “Well, I mean, what’s the alternative? Until we know the alternative, I don’t know whether one’s better or worse than this.” That open-ended challenge set the tone for what followed.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver said, “I feel like this is a bigger event than normal ovals that we go to, simply because of the atmosphere of where it’s at, the exposure to new fans that are here casually, in the city.” Hamlin then delivered an anecdote of him visiting the mall and meeting younger fans who were in town, planning to go for the race, and noted that if the sport wants to expand their fanbase in the city, street racing is where it’s at. “These are young people that are not gonna travel to Chicagoland to go to a race; you have to have it right here where they can walk to it.”

Denny Hamlin didn’t mince words. It wasn’t just lip service. He doubled down, explaining that street racing offers an energetic atmosphere oval fans rarely get, a festival-style combo of racing, skyline, and casual urban buzz. Now this isn’t a dig at the love for oval tracks like Chicagoland, but looking into the future. Denny sees it panning out differently.

And Hamlin’s case isn’t just anecdotal; data is backing him up. The inaugural 2023 race in Grant Park brought $109 million in local economic impact and $23.6 million in media value. Even better? The follow-up 2024 event grew to $128 million in economic benefits and $9.6 million in local and state taxes. Yet NASCAR officials admitted that as of December 2024, despite pumping millions into the city, the race itself hasn’t turned an operational profit, costing reportedly around $50 million to organize.

Hamlin’s remarks underlined a key insight: street traces convert curiosity into attendance in ways traditional venues cannot. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver unapologetically said, “So, I don’t know if anyone shares the same sentiment I do. But I don’t run the series; I don’t make the decisions. It just seems like, from my standpoint, there’s more excitement around the venue itself than with a normal NASCAR race venue.”

That honesty further humanized his plea, showing that it’s not from a standpoint of moving away from traditions, but from the perspective of catering to the fans of an area that views racing differently. The tension frames everything Hamlin said this weekend. He’s rooting for more than just the score. He wants NASCAR to build on the momentum, community buzz, and bigger event potential in Chicago and beyond. And he is not afraid to risk some old-school backlash to prove it.

Speaking of tension, Denny Hamlin and Ty Dillon were involved in a playful exchange that many people thought would ruffle the veteran’s feathers, but it resulted in an honest admission from the Kaulig Racing driver.

Ty Dillon is thankful for Denny Hamlin’s villain role

Ty Dillon made the most of an underdog moment. Entering the NASCAR in-season tournament as the No. 32 seed, Dillon stunned the field by eliminating top-seeded Denny Hamlin at EchoPark Speedway. He not only qualified and finished better than No. 11 but was also ahead of Hamlin when a massive 23-car wreck took out a chunk of the field, including his rival.

After the race, Dillon wasted no time grabbing the mic and the moment. In his post-race interview, he cheekily told fans, “I beat your favorite driver,” referencing Hamlin’s own trademark trash talk line. It went viral fast. And surprisingly, Hamlin was all for it. Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast, “I see people giving Ty Dillon a lot of flak. Ty Dillon, give him his moment, people. He beat me. … He was ahead of me the whole f—– race. I was 33rd until we crashed. Just let him have his moment.” 

According to Hamlin, Dillon even sent him a text saying, “Hey, I was just playing around.” And Hamlin’s response to that was “Bro, I loved it.” Dillon later credited Hamlin for creating the space to make NASCAR more entertaining again. He told RACER, “You know, I think a lot of credit goes to Denny as well. He’s leaned into the “Denny versus the world” thing the last year or so and built up a bit of a villain role—and it’s been fun. And when drivers kind of lean into some kind of entertainment part of our roles, it opens up the door for us other guys to show some of our personality.” 

Whether it’s on the track or off, Hamlin is doing his best to take the sport in the direction that fans want it to go. Be it by wearing a black hat and putting himself in the line of fire, or being brutally honest about the realities of the sport. What do you think of Denny Hamlin’s comments about Chicago? Let us know in the comments!