Denny Hamlin reflected on NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway for a points-paying race. Hamlin compared the ‘racy’ track to Bristol and how it allows multi-groove racing.
Sunday’s Window World 450 was a one-man show by Joey Logano, who led 323 of the 450 laps. The result was much like recent years at Bristol, where Kyle Larson led a majority of the races.
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In the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin shared his thoughts on NWS, saying,
“It’s a racy track. It reminds me a lot of Bristol when they changed Bristol from its one groove track and then they reconcreted it, put variable banking, they ground it, next thing we know, we were racing all around Bristol from the bottom to the top. I can tell you from a competitor standpoint, we’re like this is freaking awesome. Every lane runs the same speed, so if you’re faster, you just go to a different lane, and the fans hated it.”
“That’s why they ended up grinding the very top of the racetrack because they wanted to get us off the top. I feel like it’s sort of like this where the drivers probably like it because you got some options. There’s a little bit less contact, just simply because you got so much more room to move around,” he added.
Denny Hamlin had a radio outburst during Sunday’s race and called it a lengthy bout. He later explained that short tracks like NWS take much longer to run the same 400 miles than mile-and-a-half speedways.
Despite his complaints, Hamlin walked away with a 51-point haul after finishing second. The result extended his points lead over Tyler Reddick by 68.
Joey Logano, on the other hand, jumped two spots into the Chase cutoff and landed 15th.
Denny Hamlin buries long-held feud with Joey Logano
Jul 4, 2026; Joliet, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) before qualifying for the eero 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images
Denny Hamlin surprised fans with a wholesome gesture after the NWS race. The JGR driver shook hands with Joey Logano and shared the picture online.
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The two are famously known for their short-track rivalry, many of which ended in fisticuffs. Their first clash happened in the 2013 Bristol race, where Hamlin spun out Logano and drew a pit-road brawl post-race. They traded blows once again at Martinsville in 2019.
Reflecting upon Logano’s win, Hamlin had this to say(via ASAP Sports):
“You just got to compliment him on a great day, a great drive. They were really good.”
Denny Hamlin also called it a ‘big turnaround’ compared to last year at the 0.625-mile track. Notably, Hamlin had finished outside the top-10 in the 2025 All-Star race at NWS.
Joey Logano was poised to clinch that race as well, but a promoter’s caution ruined his momentum and handed the win to Christopher Bell.
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