One of the top storylines to emerge out of the 2023 season was Denny Hamlin transitioning into the villain of NASCAR. Though his 18-year-long career in the Cup Series hasn’t exactly been without controversies, the past racing year topped them all. Now that we are in the offseason, Hamlin has spoken about what he thinks is the cause for all the hatred toward him.
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Conversing with Dale Earnhardt Jr, he cited his podcast ‘Actions Detrimental’ as a reason and said, “I have this platform to give my opinion. A lot of it was [fan uproar] because I am opinionated. I do believe that I have more fans than I have ever had. However, the counter Denny Hamlin fans, the ones who don’t like me at all, are louder than they have ever been.”
Denny Hamlin began Actions Detrimental at the onset of the season with support from Dale Jr’s Dirty Mo Media. The platform has since enabled him to voice out his opinions on matters with the comfort that he never had before. Agreeing with Hamlin’s take, Dale Jr said, “I think people have gotten to know you better through the show. You can’t help but learn who somebody really is when they put themselves out there like that.”
More Fans + More Haters = More Noise All Around pic.twitter.com/rTokwFXJDa
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) December 19, 2023
As a result of his open expressions, Hamlin got booed at almost every track that he raced at in 2023. But what led to this image wasn’t just his opinions on the podcast.
Denny Hamlin’s on-track shenanigans that didn’t sit well with fans
Hamlin first got on the wrong side of a major portion of the fandom when he bumped Chase Elliott out of contention at Martinsville in 2017. As he continued causing more such deliberate incidents on the track in recent years, things blew out of proportion in 2023. This year it was Kyle Larson who fell victim to him. Hamlin clashed with the Hendrick Motorsports star twice, in Kansas and in Pocono, to take the win much to the ire of fans.
What set them off more than his wins were his words that came in the aftermath. He grinned at the jeers from the fans in Pocono, and said, “I love it.” Continuing the banter during the playoff night at Bristol, he said, “I beat your favorite driver — all of them.”
Love him or hate him, Denny Hamlin has got rather too comfortable in his seat as a hated driver. There’s no doubt that he will not lose a night’s sleep over the jeers that he receives in 2024.
