Considering his super honest attitude and no-filter takes, Denny Hamlin has carved out a unique place for himself within the NASCAR community. He’s not only one of the most successful drivers of the sport, he’s also one of the most divisive ones. But that’s exactly what the sport needs, at least that’s what Steve Phelps had recently suggested.
Advertisement
“Right now, Denny Hamlin’s wearing the black hat for us and he’s doing a tremendous job, and he’s leaning into it,” Phelps said. “That’s what we want. I’d like to have 36 Denny Hamlins.”
However, when Hamlin himself was confronted with this demand from Phelps, he thought the NASCAR CEO was “lying.”
“I think there’s room for everyone at the table, for sure. Certainly, it is the clashing personalities that make the rivalries. I think when you look at, I’ve gotten into a rivalry with anyone that’s just about pretty good in the sport and some that are even average,” Hamlin shared his take on Phelps’ comments.
“I just think that’s what makes those rivalries. It’s clashing styles, clashing ideals, and that’s what the sport was built off. I mean, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt couldn’t be any more different, but it created kind of a rivalry.”
What does Denny Hamlin think of NASCAR’s biggest rising star?
If not after his stellar season last year, William Byron, by winning the Daytona 500 last week, certainly etched himself as the biggest rising star in NASCAR today. Byron, who is only 26, already has 11 wins to his name. And if he continues at this rate, he could become one of the all-time greats.
This is what Denny Hamlin recently predicted for the young Hendrick star. He said of Byron, “I’m super envious of how he has progressed as a driver. I think we saw from the Truck Series, to Xfinity Series, he’s always was winning. And again, he’s always had great equipment but so do a lot of his teammates as well.”
“So he’s just continually gotten better and better and to be what is he? In his mid-20s? He’s got such a long future ahead.”
Hamlin claimed that Byron is the kind of driver who, if he keeps going at the pace he is right now, could end up with 60-70 wins to his name by the end of his career. And that is top 10 all-time wins territory.
