Denny Hamlin, a respected NASCAR driver and co-owner of 23XI Racing, has ignited a heated controversy by sharply disputing NASCAR’s proposed costs for the upcoming All-Star Race, scheduled for next month at North Wilkesboro Speedway. On Monday’s episode of his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, Denny Hamlin claimed that under NASCAR’s “Run What You Brung” rules package, teams would be forced to spend as much as $2 million just to compete—an assertion that has prompted swift rebuttal and sparked passionate debate throughout the racing community.
The heated exchange came to a boil after Mike Forde, NASCAR’s managing director of racing communications, directly challenged Denny Hamlin’s math during his appearance Wednesday on the “Hauler Talk” podcast. “Denny talked about how this would potentially cost $2 million if we went ahead and did this. I think his math was off by about $2 million,” Forde stated, bluntly dismissing the estimate. According to Forde, not only is Denny Hamlin’s claim inaccurate, but the proposal could actually cost teams nothing or even help them save money. “I’m sorry, Denny. But I did text with Denny, and I told him you can listen to the ‘Hauler Talk’ podcast on Wednesday for all the goods,” Forde concluded.
In response, Denny Hamlin refused to back down and quickly fired back on social media, laying bare his frustration. “Oh it cost us nothing to run a race team now,” Denny Hamlin tweeted sarcastically. “Whew, this business is easier than I thought. BTW, Great stats on Sunday!” His remarks captured not only his disbelief but also his deep discontent with NASCAR’s portrayal of team expenditures.
The heart of the dispute centers around NASCAR’s proposal to allow teams to use a “Run What You Brung” approach in the All-Star Race, a move intended to fix what many see as declining performance at classic short-track venues like Martinsville and Bristol during the Next Gen era. Despite NASCAR’s intent to revive excitement at these historic tracks, teams, including those helmed by Denny Hamlin, overwhelmingly rejected the proposal. Money, Denny Hamlin insisted, was the most decisive factor.
As Denny Hamlin explained, “We’ve been very transparent in the fact that this car cost $300,000. Do the math real quick. If I put my three cars on the racetrack and just to build this wild, illegal car, I’m going to destroy it and now I lose one more car out of my fleet. I only get seven cars per door number. So, that’s three cars that are wiped out of my fleet that I’m not going to get a replacement for because I’m not going to get a replacement car if the car has damage to it if you wreck it. You have to show NASCAR that it’s wrecked, bent or whatever and you need another chassis. I can’t afford to lose that out of my rotation.”
Denny Hamlin added that teams used to have fourteen cars available, but now are restricted to just seven—a change instituted by NASCAR as part of its cost-cutting efforts. “The whole cost-cutting thing was to shorten up how many cars we have in our stable. Can you ask for another chassis? Sure, but I’m gonna spend $1 million just on parts and pieces. We haven’t even developed anything yet. So, just in parts and pieces to replace all this sh*t we’re gonna modify, we’re gonna spend a sh*t ton of money. And it only pays $1 million to win. It’s paid $1 million to win for 30 years. It’s not that cool anymore. Even if one of my cars won, I don’t see this as even remotely breakeven proposition,” he concluded, leaving no ambiguity about his view of the proposed rule’s financial strain.
Not content to let Denny Hamlin’s criticisms go unanswered, Mike Forde addressed the specific arguments raised. According to Forde, “His reasoning and what he threw out there was that if the car cost $300,000, he has three cars, he would destroy every single part in that car trying to make it the best they can by modifying every part to its max ability. So, $900,000 worth of parts that are now obsolete because they can’t be used anywhere else except the All-Star Race. Part two is they would be building parts, creating parts with their partners at Joe Gibbs Racing which would cost another $1 million. All put in, almost $2 million for this race that ‘only’ pays $1 million to the winner. That’s incorrect.”
Forde emphasized that under the proposed rule, teams were explicitly forbidden from making significant modifications. “What we presented to the teams is you cannot modify any parts, you cannot build new parts, you can’t create any new parts. Everything still had to be single-sourced. But there was a list of things we were going to allow teams to do,” Forde said, directly refuting Denny Hamlin’s projections.
He went on to explain that the intention was to allow teams to use material and parts that were not fit for premier races but still quite serviceable, a method that could actually reduce costs for resourceful teams. “If you didn’t want to do anything, if you didn’t want to come up with any idea, you can just build your cars, what you could have done is use body panels that aren’t race ready for a Talladega or a Coke 600, but probably too good for a show car and use it for the All-Star Race. So, you could have used sort of like hand-me-downs which they do now, but it’s hand-me-downs that’s not up to snuff for a points race, you could have used it there and actually save some money. The teams are not going to do that, but maybe a smaller team would,” Forde clarified.
The bitter disagreement between Denny Hamlin and NASCAR’s communications chief is having a ripple effect across the sport, revealing the emotional turmoil and financial anxieties that simmer below the surface in the high-stakes world of professional racing. For Denny Hamlin, the controversy strikes at a deeper level, touching not just on dollars and cents but on the sustainability of teams, the integrity of competition, and the pressure owners feel to balance excitement with long-term survival.
The outcome of this clash remains uncertain. Some in the industry have voiced sympathy for Denny Hamlin’s concerns, acknowledging the real strain modern costs impose, while others side with NASCAR’s assurances that the reforms are misunderstood and could even ease financial burdens. As the All-Star Race approaches, the debate over spending and fairness is unlikely to fade, and Denny Hamlin’s willingness to speak out ensures that these issues will stay in the public eye. What happens next may influence not only Denny Hamlin’s team but also the future of cost management, competition and trust in NASCAR for years to come.
