Denny Hamlin: North Wilkesboro has potential to be one of NASCAR’s best short tracks

Following the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race, Denny Hamlin was filled with positivity regarding the future of North Wilkesboro and the racing at the track.

During the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin proclaimed North Wilkesboro has the potential to elevate into one of NASCAR’s top short-tracks over the next couple of seasons. He believes it could be on par with the likes of Bristol and Martinsville if the track keeps working at itself, as the racing is intense.

“I thought it was really, really good,” Hamlin said, regarding the track. “It had consistency, from top to bottom, certainly we were able to move up, move to the middle, to the bottom. It had options, for sure. I thought it raced as good as any repave we’ve ever seen, truly. It just seems like it has some variable banking, especially through one and two, that it’s — the very bottom lane is, let’s just pretend it’s flat. You’ve got the next lane in the middle, which has got a little more camber to it. And then the top lane, that’s got even more. So the higher up you run, the more momentum you’re going to have on the exit, but you can run lower, cut distance and get beside the person. So I thought it created great racing.

“The truck racing, I thought it was phenomenal. But the Cup teams are all just so close. So I think it was a really, really good repave. You’ve got to give credit where it’s due. Certainly feel like it’s got the potential, if we can get all this right, to be one of the best short-tracks that we have.”

Perhaps the one thing that could help make North Wilkesboro a little more exciting is more cars on the track. During the last two All-Star Race events, Kyle Larson and Joey Logano dominated their victories, leading almost every lap. But they didn’t have to deal with lapped traffic, which was a huge boon.

A points-paying race with the entire field of the Cup Series on the track in North Wilkesboro would certainly change that, and maybe lend some more support behind Hamlin’s claim of the track being on par with the best short-tracks in NASCAR.

Regardless, the All-Star Race will return to the track in 2025, so Denny Hamlin and the rest of the field will at least have another opportunity to race at North Wilkesboro for a win next season.