NASCAR Insider Rant: Team Owners Refuse All-Star Race Modification Proposal

A recent controversy erupted in the NASCAR community after senior journalist Jeff Gluck delivered a passionate and critical rant targeting Cup Series team owners for rejecting a major proposal for the 2025 NASCAR All-Star Race.

Background: NASCAR’s Proposal for the All-Star Race

Ahead of the 2025 All-Star race weekend, NASCAR offered teams a unique opportunity: for this $1 million exhibition event, all restrictions on the Next-Gen cars would be lifted, allowing teams to modify their cars as they wished-much like in NASCAR’s earlier, less-regulated eras. The intention was to bring back innovation and excitement, giving teams the creative freedom they had long requested since the introduction of the spec Next-Gen car in 2022.

Team Owners’ Refusal and Financial Concerns

Despite previously advocating for fewer restrictions, Cup Series teams led by prominent owners like Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick refused the proposal, citing financial concerns. Teams explained that preparing a car for the unrestricted race would cost significantly more than the usual $300,000 per event. Even with the $1 million prize, the winner would not break even, and the car-heavily modified for this one-off event-would be unusable for the remainder of the 2025 season.

Jeff Gluck’s Rant: “Stop Crying About the Freaking Money!”

On his podcast “The Teardown,” Jeff Gluck criticized the team owners for what he saw as hypocrisy. He pointed out that teams had long complained about the lack of modification freedom with the Next-Gen car, only to back down when finally given the chance. Gluck urged teams to stop complaining about money and seize the opportunity to prove their point about the current car’s limitations.

“Stop crying about the freaking money!” Gluck exclaimed, highlighting that the teams themselves had asked for this liberty and were now backing out when it was finally offered.

Denny Hamlin Responds: The Teams’ Perspective

23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin addressed Gluck’s rant on his own podcast, providing insight into the teams’ decision. Hamlin explained that teams only receive seven chassis from NASCAR per season. Sacrificing one for a single, non-points event-especially when the car could not be reused-would impose a significant financial burden. He argued that unless NASCAR provided additional support, it was unreasonable to expect teams to absorb such costs, even for a high-profile race.

Hamlin acknowledged, however, that by rejecting the proposal, teams missed a rare chance to demonstrate how they could improve the Next-Gen car, which continues to face criticism for its restrictive design and performance issues.