Denny Hamlin evaluates possibility of NASCAR returning to Kentucky

Denny Hamlin is of the belief that if NASCAR wants to roll with the Next Gen car as it is, then more mile-and-a-half tracks need to be on the schedule.

During the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin theorized a couple of places where NASCAR could return. One of those tracks was Kentucky, which was last raced on by NASCAR in 2020, featuring a race won by Cole Custer.

“I don’t know. I mean there’s — Kentucky’s still out there,” Hamlin stated, regarding tracks where NASCAR could return. “Kentucky Speedway. There’s tracks out there. We need to think about it. We can’t just make a knee-jerk reaction and say, ‘Oh, we’ve got to have more of this or more of that.’ A lot of it plays into the facilities.

“I don’t know that you know, Kentucky is definitely not top notch, when it comes to facilities there. It needs, it would need some major work.”

Still, it’s something Hamlin would consider, if he were making the decisions. He also argued for NASCAR to go back to Chicagoland Speedway, “We should be going back to Chicagoland, for sure,” Hamlin added. 

A return to Chicagoland would put the future of the Chicago Street Race in doubt, but the No. 11 wheelman believes there’s room for both on the schedule. Hamlin also stated that if Chicagoland is added to the schedule, the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway would be his first choice to go. 

“Let’s start with the ROVAL. Let’s start there,” Hamlin stated. “This car is made for mile-and-a-half tracks and we’re running through the parking lot at Charlotte Motor Speedway.”

In the end, the quest for Hamlin and NASCAR is simple — add more tracks to the schedule that allow for the type of racing Kansas Speedway can provide, and go from there.

“This track just sets up perfectly for the car,” Hamlin said, regarding Kansas. “I mentioned it after the race that the combination of it all — we have lower horsepower, so we have to run the top for momentum. But there’s opportunities at this racetrack for you to run lower, cut distance off, slide up in front of somebody and then you’re not gonna have a good run off the corner and then they’re gonna re-pass you on the straightaway. 

“If you were to design a mile and a half nowadays, it would be like give me whatever Kansas has got. Now, you’d have to be able to match the surface with it, but it just was a fantastic race from beginning to end.”

NASCAR has some interest decisions at their feet, due to the way the Next Gen car races. We’ll see if any of the old tracks make their way back onto the schedule after the deliberation from Denny Hamlin and others.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this article.