Denny Hamlin reacts to NASCAR potentially adding San Diego street course race

Denny Hamlin wouldn’t mind competing in a NASCAR Cup Series street race in San Diego. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin reacted to the news of NASCAR adding a San Diego street course race next year.

“I don’t hate it,” Denny Hamlin said. “I certainly think that San Diego sounds like a place I’d like to go. “I mean, sure, I guess. It seems like they’re really in favor of street races out. So if they’re hellbent on it, then San Diego seems like a destination to do that.”

Last week, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported NASCAR was finalizing a deal to race on a street course in the San Diego area next year. If the deal goes through, NASCAR would return to Southern California after being away for a few years.

A return to the area would be the first points race since Kyle Busch won at Fontana in 2023. The track, which is called Auto Club Speedway, was closed shortly after the race for reconstruction. The last NASCAR race in Southern California was in 2024 when the drivers competed in the Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

NASCAR wants to be back in Southern California

It’s clear NASCAR wants to return to the Southern California area since. Last year, then-NASCAR president Steve Phelps spoke to NBC Sports about potentially having at race at Dodger Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“We are committed to the market,” Phelps told NBC Sports in March 2024. “It’s important. What it looks like at this point next year, I don’t know. Was there an exploration with the Dodgers, working with Formula E and creating a potential joint opportunity there? Yeah.

“That should not be a surprise. It’s just due diligence. If something hits, great, and if it doesn’t so be it, but I think we need to continue to push the boundaries, not just from a schedule standpoint. I think we’ve seen that, or fans have seen that and media have seen that. We have a willingness to think differently and it’s working.”