Denny Hamlin’s Ally Delivers Ultimatum to North Wilkesboro if It Wants to Remain on the NASCAR Calendar

Last weekend, NASCAR visited the North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time since 1996. Kyle Larson went on to win the All-Star race, but it is safe to say that not many were fond of how the race played out. This was because the race was not something to write home about.

In light of this, Denny Hamlin‘s crew chief spoke about the speedway’s future in the NASCAR Cup Series. He acknowledged that while it did wonders to revive the past, there was a massive concern.

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Chris Gabehart confessed that he was worried about the track conditions in the future. Sure, Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s efforts to restore the track were laudable, and it was incredible that he did a fantastic job. However, he wondered whether it will last, especially if NASCAR wants the speedway on the calendar for a long time.

Making an appearance at the MRN Crew Call podcast, Gabehart expressed, “I love the nostalgia on the surface, but there’s obviously a lot of risk involved when it comes to scheduling.”

“If you get rain or the track starts to come apart, how else are you going to handle? Can the show move on properly?”

“My personal opinion is, they’ve invested a ton of time and effort and money onto that place. They’ve turned it into an excellent venue, and while we hate the word repave, I do think they need to look at repaving it.”

Gabehart acknowledged that in NASCAR, not many are fond of the idea of repaving. However, at an older track like North Wilkesboro Speedway, it is a necessary evil. Otherwise, there is a risk of the track surface breaking up and ruining the speedway. So if the track can be repaved and it can provide better racing, then all the more power to them.

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He continued, “However, I think, just like technology evolves in everything, I think technology needs to evolve in how we repave these surfaces.”

“I know they don’t do them all the same way. But I think North Wilkesboro is a perfect opportunity to look at some lower grade aggregate stuff that can deteriorate quicker. Maybe even look at mixing the lanes up. Maybe this lane needs this type of aggregate. That lane needs that type of aggregate.”

“Progressive banking perhaps a little bit, not a lot.”

In other words, he hopes that if repaving is the only viable option, then it should be efficient. After all, this is 2023, so the technology would have evolved a lot. The crew chief of Denny Hamlin suggested that the track authorities experiment a little bit in order to find what suits the track.

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