Denny Hamlin may have done the unthinkable and seized $1 million at the NASCAR All-Star Race at Dover Motor Speedway, but the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran was still a bit frustrated after the race, as he felt that despite doing it all, the race had no bearing on his Cup Series totals.

After dominating the chaotic 350-lap race at Dover’s “Monster Mile,” Hamlin immediately made his feelings clear. “This one doesn’t count,” Hamlin said with a laugh. “It’s b*******.” He later added, “That’s my career. All the wins that really matter don’t count.”

The exhibition event was Hamlin’s second win at the All-Star Race and his 67th overall Cup Series victory, including these non-points events. However, as we know, the NASCAR record book shall only credit him with 61 official wins.

The frustration shows how Hamlin is viewing this spurt of growth late into his career. While the All-Star Race does reward you with a million dollars, it is points-free, meaning even if you win, no points shall be granted to you.

Hamlin openly admitted that matters to him now. “It’ll go on your résumé when they’re debating whether to put you in,” he explained. “But it doesn’t go on the stat sheet.”

However, the driver didn’t take any glory away from his skill on the tarmac. “If we’re going to a track that turns left, I expect to win every single week,” Hamlin said. “It’s very gratifying from my standpoint to still be competitive at my age.”

Even though the driver seemed disappointed, we should not forget what an entertaining race he provided us, and why he truly deserved the win.

Dover’s chaotic All-Star gamble somehow became the perfect Denny Hamlin story

NASCAR’s first All-Star Race at Dover turned into one of the strangest races in our memory. This new 350-lap format now featured full-field participation, inversion rounds, and a final 26-car cutoff that would then force a closing segment.

The race immediately descended into chaos after Ryan Preece triggered a crash on Lap 2, immediately sweeping away and clearing out a long list of possible champions like Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney.

Dover’s high-banked track, with the new resin treatment sprinkled alongside the 750-horsepower beasts, saw aggressive multi-groove racing throughout the afternoon.

Amid all this conflict and confusion, Denny Hamlin controlled the race as he led around 103 laps in the final segment, drawing strong challenges from his teammate Chase Briscoe while reminding us that old is sometimes gold, and finally racing away with a $1 million prize.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason