Denny Hamlin raves about NASCAR All-star option tire after North Wilkesboro practice - "This is like back to old short track game"

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin was very impressed with NASCAR's All-Star tire options for the upcoming race. Hamlin recorded a sixth-place finish in the practice session at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports unveiled the format and schedule for the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race, highlighting the return of multiple tire compounds for the exhibition event. Teams competing at the 0.625-mile short track in North Wilkesboro will have access to both prime and option tires during dry conditions throughout the race weekend.

The new 'Option' tire has been designed with the same construction as the standard tire but incorporates the tread compound from Goodyear’s wet-weather tires. This compound is intended to offer more grip while wearing out faster, creating a significant drop-off in lap times and emphasizing tire management during the race.

Teams were allotted two sets of option tires for practice and the heat races, providing ample opportunity to strategize their use ahead of the All-Star race. Veteran driver Denny Hamlin was queried about his opinion of the tire during the practice race. He said (via NASCAR.com):

"They nailed it with this one. It’s just a great tire. Great lap time variation between the two tires and also just the ability to pass with it because there’s a difference in speed between the cars. So, as you’re seeing now guys are searching for new pavement to try to get a grip because they don’t want to be in the rubber because it is kind of slick. Right now this is like back to the old short track game."

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Denny Hamlin on what would make the option tire a success during NASCAR All-Star race

Hamlin delved into the impact of the option tires when speaking on a recent episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast. The 43-year-old emphasized that success would mean many overtakes, especially since North Wilkesboro is a challenging track. He stated:

“A success would be lots of overtaking, passes. Let’s just call it passes. That’s what we want to see, right? Because North Wilkesboro is going to be a huge challenge. It is going to be a very tough track to pass on. Because the cars will have so much grip that it would be an aerodynamic race."

Denny Hamlin explained that using hard, durable tires would make passing difficult, turning the race into a follow-the-leader situation due to excessive grip. The JGR driver added:

"With this alternate tire what you’re hoping is that it’s got enough grip in it where people will choose, knowing maybe there is a short run coming, they’ll choose this tire, be able to pass people on hard tires and then they fall off."

Denny Hamlin is ranked third in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. He has 447 points to his name, courtesy of three wins and five top-5 finishes.