Denny Hamlin proposes letting drivers redesign North Wilkesboro Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin has a solution to make North Wilkesboro Speedway a desirable race track for the future.

Not only is the 49-time winner calling for a repaving of the revived track, which hosted its first NASCAR event since 1996 with this past Sunday’s All-Star Race, but Hamlin hopes that the drivers will have plenty of input.

Thinking about this more. This should be the first drivers designed racing surface created. Everything from the banking, to the type of asphalt in each lane. Wanna get the drivers behind it? Let em design it. @MarcusSMI https://t.co/qPbjHwR4tU

— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) May 23, 2023

“Thinking about this more,” Hamlin tweeted Tuesday. “This should be the first drivers designed racing surface created. Everything from the banking, to the type of asphalt in each lane. Wanna get the drivers behind it? Let em design it. @MarcusSMI.”

Speaking on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast Monday, Hamlin went in-depth on why he believes the track needs to be repaved. Hamlin called North Wilkesboro a “one-lane track,” crediting that as to why it was tough for cars to pass over the course of the 200-lap event.

“The top three were the ones that pitted for tires,” Hamlin said. “They drove to the front because they had new tires on Lap 16 and they never looked back. It was that difficult to pass because of the tires, and it was difficult to pass because that track, you know, unfortunately is a one-lane track. I mean, I heard Chase Briscoe talk about it — that the second lane was non-existent. You couldn’t even try to battle someone on the outside.

“That’s why I think it needs to get repaved because our cars don’t race as well on single file tracks. That’s just a fact, they don’t. And especially if it’s a short track. So, I encourage the staff, Marcus Smith to repave it, but get the drivers feedback on the repaving. I think that they could do some things with the asphalt.”

North Wilkesboro sees Kyle Larson win in ‘old-school ass whooping’

Much of the race was dominated by Kyle Larson, who led 145 laps en route to picking up the All-Star Race victory and pocketing the $1 million purse. Larson is the first driver in Cup Series history to win the event at three different tracks — Charlotte Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and North Wilkesboro. The latter hosted its first NASCAR event since 1996.

Larson described his win as an “old-school ass whooping.”

“I can’t even tell you what it means,” Larson said after the race. “This is my third All-Star win at my third different track at a historical place like this. You guys in the crowd made this weekend so awesome. We could feel the atmosphere all weekend. So much fun there. That was an old-school ass whooping for sure.