As he had committed to doing, experienced NASCAR racer and five-time season team proprietor Denny Hamlin elaborated on why his co-owners turned down the suggestion of hosting the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro next month with an anything-goes car regulations format.
Ultimately, it boils down to costs, with Hamlin stating that it would require a $2 million investment merely for the opportunity to win $1 million, along with contributing to NASCAR research and development which, according to him, should not fall upon the teams in the first instance.
The comments were made on his weekly ‘Actions Detrimental’ podcast.
“Generally speaking, if you’re just talking to me, the race car driver and the fan, I’m going to say, I wish we had this, this would be fantastic,” Hamlin said. “There could be possibly something that gets learned for the short track package that could make it better.
Imagine having vehicles traveling at varying speeds; it’s quite remarkable. This would lead to more frequent overtaking opportunities. While numerous benefits could arise from this setup, the question remains: Who will bear the cost?
Hamlin stated that ‘it wasn’t a wise move’ for his trio of cars and mentioned this stance had backing from another set of three vehicles after reaching out to them about the notion.
As part of an overarching initiative within the industry aimed at enhancing competition on smaller circuits using the fourth-year NextGen vehicle, NASCAR proposed to the teams a concept for a race wherein participants would be permitted to present any configuration they desired to the track, provided all components were from previously sanctioned sources.
Hamlin stated that this would essentially result in taking a vehicle out of his fleet since it wouldn’t be suitable for races with such regulations. Consequently, he’d lose a car that he estimates costs around $300,000 per unit.
What we’ll do is dismantle each component of that vehicle and reduce its weight or alter it somehow,” Hamlin stated. “We plan to customize it extensively; for instance, we’ll manipulate the frame—perform various modifications that would render it non-compliant with regulations at any other race track we visit.
Hamlin mentioned that he cannot afford such a setback, considering that losing three vehicles across his 23XI Racing team—which he jointly owns with Michael Jordan—would be too much just to conduct NASCAR’s research and development efforts for a single event.
Sure thing, could you request an additional chassis?” asked Hamlin. “However, keep in mind that I’ll be investing over a million dollars solely in components and elements that we still have nothing developed for as of now. We plan to use these replacements for modifications, so the expenses will pile up quickly; remember though, the prize is only one million dollars.
It has offered $1 million for winning three times over 30 years. Three times over 30 years. It doesn’t seem exciting anymore. Even if one of my vehicles had won, I wouldn’t consider this close to being financially viable.
Hamlin mentioned that the only teams equipped with CNC machines for modifying these components are Hendrick, Gibbs, and Penske. This implies an overwhelming reliance on those groups along with the significant expenses involved in undertaking such extensive tasks.
That being said, Hamlin would remain receptive to a less extensive and focused open regulations race, provided NASCAR permits teams to adjust ride heights and body positioning without altering the single-source components they supply.
The primary problem with short tracks is that the NextGen car was designed incorrectly, with its nose too high and tail too low, which allows more airflow to reach the rear diffuser.
Perhaps we should say, ‘Go ahead, run whichever spoiler you like, set your car at any ride height you desire,'” Hamlin proposed. “If you prefer to raise the rear end a foot off the ground, feel free to do so.
These are simple enough tasks. They’re not necessarily easy, even though I’m not the one working in the shop. Things like this can help alter how the cars appear and perform, and perhaps provide knowledge applicable to future generations of vehicles. It’s quite an undertaking though.
However, according to Hamlin, NASCAR created this vehicle, and he feels it’s their responsibility to address the issues with it on shorter tracks.
To be frank, NASCAR should focus on improving itself. It’s not our responsibility. We’ve already put our investment into this.