Denny Hamlin offers surprising take on new All-Star Race format

The 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race takes place at North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend, and Denny Hamlin has thoughts on the new format. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin said he doesn’t mind the changes made by NASCAR.

“All-Star format’s okay,” Hamlin said in the episode that debuted in late April. “Does it have a gimmick in there? Yeah, but it’s not super gimmicky. I hear some people talk about, ‘Oh, this is just all we need is NASCAR to open up Pandora’s box. They can throw a caution whenever they want.’ I mean, it could be worse. We know it’s coming, so you might as well just plan for it as a team, that if we don’t have a caution between Lap 175 and 220, they are going to throw a caution. So you might as well just bank on that.”

Denny Hamlin was referring to a single option promoter’s caution that could be used during the All-Star race. If a yellow flag comes out, it must fly before Lap 220 and can’t be used if a natural caution happens after Lap 200.

Another addition to the NASCAR All-Star Race is the number of laps. Instead of it being 200 laps like it had been the last two years, the 2025 race will be expanded by 50, and there will be a competition break at or near the 100-lap mark.

More details on the NASCAR All-Star Race

There will also be a Manufacturer Showdown between the Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota teams. The manufacturer teams will include all drivers from the last represented manufacturer and an equal number of drivers from the other two manufacturers selected based on the final grid positions in the race.

“The NASCAR All-Star Race continues to evolve as one of the most fun and innovative events on our calendar,” John Probst, executive vice president and chief racing development officer, said in a press release. “Returning to historic North Wilkesboro Speedway for the third year in a row allows us to honor our sport’s roots while pushing the envelope with fresh competitive elements. The introduction of the Manufacturer Showdown brings a new layer of intensity and pride for our OEM partners, and fans can expect even more strategy, teamwork and drama on race day.”

The drivers who are currently eligible for this year’s NASCAR All-Star Race are Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Josh Berry, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe, Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suárez. It will air on FS1 on Sunday, May 18, at 8 p.m. ET.