Did Denny Hamlin Pee in His NASCAR Race Suit in Atlanta?

One of the most curiosity-inducing questions around NASCAR is whether drivers actually pee in their race suits during the race. Of course, there have been instances in the past when drivers have openly admitted to surrendering in front of the nature call. But do big-name drivers do it too? Turns out, they do. Enter Denny Hamlin.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver recently admitted on his podcast that during the race in Atlanta, he had to do what he had never done before. “I ain’t got to go number 2, I got to go number 1. My bladder is just dying and so I finally get to pit road and they’re working on the damage and I just close my eyes, and I’m like, just trying to think of something that will make me go,” he said, to which his co-host Jared Allen added, “This is that painful of a thing for you to do.”

“YES! And as soon as I got the first dribble, BOOM! It was warm and then it was cold,” Hamlin described. “I never felt what it felt like to pee in my seat but I kind of liked it.”

“I did.”

Denny was hoping for another yellow… and he got one! pic.twitter.com/WZMeaaKGdK

— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) February 26, 2024

Drivers peeing in their pants isn’t all that common as per Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Arguably the biggest name in NASCAR even today, Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up on this rather uncomfortable but curiously interesting subject of drivers peeing in their pants during a race. “Well, you do go to the bathroom,” he told Fox Sports. “Yeah, so if you can hold it, you hold it. If you can’t hold it, you go.” 

Having said that, Earnhardt insisted that it doesn’t happen all that often, that it happens only when the car is really hot, which allows for all the water in the weight to leave through sweating. “So your bladder never fills up. If it’s a hot day and you get real nervous before the race, and you drank too much water because you think you are going to dehydrate, you typically end up having to go to the bathroom before you even get the green flag,” he added.

Nevertheless, this subject, despite it being clarified time and time again, continues to be and perhaps will continue to be an interesting facet of racing in NASCAR. Because when you gotta go, you gotta go, no matter who you are or where you are.