Denny Hamlin Proposes Boosting Daytona 500 Speeds

NASCAR driver wants to make handling more of a factor to improve racing at Daytona International Speedway

Published on Feb. 16, 2026

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Denny Hamlin, a NASCAR driver and team owner, has a plan to improve the racing at the Daytona 500 by increasing the speeds of the cars. Hamlin believes that making the cars go faster would spread out the field and make handling more of a factor, leading to more exciting racing. He has already discussed his idea with NASCAR executives and is hoping to test a new racing package during the exhibition Clash event at Daytona next year, with the potential to implement changes before the 2028 season.

Why it matters

The Daytona 500 has become a fuel-mileage race in recent years due to the slower speeds of the Next Gen car, leading to less exciting racing. Hamlin's proposal to increase speeds could help address this issue and make the race more thrilling for fans.

The details

Hamlin believes that by increasing the speeds of the cars, it will make handling more of a factor, which will spread out the field and lead to more passing and better racing. He has already spoken to NASCAR executives about his idea and is hoping to test a new racing package during the exhibition Clash event at Daytona next year. If the test is successful, the changes could potentially be implemented before the 2028 season.

  • Hamlin met with NASCAR earlier this week to discuss his proposal.
  • The Clash event at Daytona, if it returns next year, could be used to test Hamlin's proposed racing package.

The players

Denny Hamlin

A NASCAR driver and team owner who has won the Daytona 500 three times and is proposing changes to improve the racing at the event.

Tyler Reddick

The driver who won the 2023 Daytona 500 for Hamlin's 23XI Racing team.

Billy Scott

The crew chief for Tyler Reddick, who is less confident that the fuel-mileage strategy will be altered.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

The 2023 Daytona 500 winner, who finished second in the race and acknowledged that the fuel-mileage strategy made the race "pretty boring" for fans at times.

NASCAR

The sanctioning body that Hamlin has discussed his proposal with and could potentially implement changes for the Daytona 500 in the future.

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What they’re saying

“There's a way, but we're going to have to increase the speeds by a lot. You're going to make it where handling matters. That's going to spread the field, that's going to make it to where ... it'll look a little more like racing from the past.”

— Denny Hamlin (ESPN)

“As long as (NASCAR's) insurance company is OK with it, you're going to have to speed up the cars because right now we're so planted in the racetrack that we could just run in this really tight pack.”

— Denny Hamlin (ESPN)

“You won't see any fuel saving. You're just going to see people hanging on. That would be the only fix.”

— Denny Hamlin (ESPN)

“I doubt there's a fix to it because we're just going to figure out the next way to exploit it, and I don't know that it needs to be fixed. It would be like asking if you need to change how chess is played.”

— Billy Scott, Crew Chief for Tyler Reddick (ESPN)

“On one hand, it's good because our strategy worked out perfectly. We stuck to it. It was brutal riding around there for a while. Not sure what the Toyotas were doing, but I think that made the race pretty boring there for a while for the fans. It was chaos after they pitted.”

— Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2023 Daytona 500 Winner (ESPN)

What’s next

If the proposed racing package is tested successfully during the 2024 Clash event at Daytona, NASCAR could potentially implement the changes before the 2028 Daytona 500.

The takeaway

Denny Hamlin's proposal to increase speeds at the Daytona 500 could help address the recent trend of fuel-mileage racing and make the event more exciting for fans. While some are skeptical of the need for changes, Hamlin's idea is at least worth considering as NASCAR looks to improve the racing at one of its most iconic events.