Denny Hamlin issues NASCAR 'arms race' warning

Cup Series star Denny Hamlin has warned of a NASCAR 'arms race' if a huge change to the All-Star race is made.

NASCAR's annual All-Star weekend is set to take place at North Wilkesboro Speedway later this month, with the format for the event recently confirmed.

Around a similar time, it also emerged that Cup Series teams had rejected the chance to run a 'run what you brung' race at the event, which would have seen them able to modify their current cars and their parts any way that they liked, barring any safety-related components.

It was thought that the event could potentially lead the teams and NASCAR to learn more about how they can improve racing in the next-gen car, particularly at short tracks, something that has come in for heavy criticism from drivers and fans alike.

However, the idea was rejected, with Denny Hamlin, who also co-owns 23XI Racing alongside his driving duties in the Cup Series, citing cost factors on his podcast last week as one of the potential reasons why.

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Denny Hamlin warns against All-Star race change

Now, speaking to the media ahead of this weekend's race at Texas, where he suffered a DNF after an engine blowout, Hamlin has warned that if the change were made, it would lead to a financial arms race of who could spend the most to modify their vehicle.

"The R&D itself would just cost a lot of money," Hamlin told the media in Texas.

"I think initially when they had conversations, it was Chad Knaus and Travis Geisler that met with NASCAR and said, 'This is gonna cost a lot'.

"And you've got to trust those guys, they've been doing this far longer than I have."

Hamlin continued: "Yes, I understand 'well, it's your option to spend', but we don't all show up to just show up, we go to compete,"

"And, unfortunately, it would just be an arms race of who would be willing to spend the most."

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