Is Denny Hamlin Embracing the NASCAR Villain Role Like Kyle Busch?

Because of his move on Kyle Larson with seven laps to go in Turn 1, Denny Hamlin wasn’t received well by the fans at Pocono Raceway despite him achieving a monumental landmark of 50 wins in the sport. By all means, fans weren’t happy with the #11 driver because of his incident with Larson.

However, not only is Hamlin unbothered by the boos he received, but he also has an interesting take on whether he leans in or whether he tries to fight his negative persona, one which is reminiscent of his former teammate Kyle Busch’s, the persona of a NASCAR villain.

This was a subject he addressed in the post-race media session.

Denny Hamlin is neither bothered by nor is he leaning into the villain role

During a press conference after the race at Pocono, Hamlin was asked whether he leans into the villain role like Kyle Busch used to or not. “Not really,” he replied.

“I mean, I don’t think anyone likes to be disliked. I don’t know. I mean, no, I don’t try to do anything to lean into it, for sure. I think it just kind of happens naturally, to be honest with you. Some of the questionable incidents, like with the Chase thing, that stirs the things up, right? Me and Chase get together, we crash at Charlotte, it just fires the people right back up that, like, I’m a bad guy.”

Hamlin further extended his take by claiming being perceived in a negative light is a part of the job, something he attributed to the craziness of fandom. Having said that, he added that he doesn’t fault the fans for not liking him considering he feels the same for athletes he’s never met in real life.

“I root for the other team. So when they root for the other team, and that team doesn’t win, they think I’m responsible for that team not winning, you see the reactions that you do,” Hamlin reasoned.

Hamlin claims he’s not that likable

Denny Hamlin also emphasized that he doesn’t care about things such as the villain role. He claimed, “I’m just too old to care. Had I gotten another 20 years ahead of me, I get it.”

The #11 driver confessed that he doesn’t understand why he never really resonated with fans. He said, “I got here on hard work, the old-fashioned way. I’m just not that likable, which is okay. I mean, I think I’m just not one of those good ol’ boys, right? I’m myself. I am. Try to treat people really well, do the right things, let the fans cheer for whoever they want.”

For Hamlin, as he claimed, as long as the fans are making noise, it’s okay, regardless of whether it is the noise of cheers or the boos.