It’s true that Denny Hamlin garners a lot of hate from the fans. But at the same time, he also epitomizes the kind of driver that a NASCAR fan values the most; the one who has worked his way up to the elite levels of stock car racing without any high-profile financial backup, one who is successful, and one who doesn’t shy away from speaking their heart.
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Loved or not, Hamlin is certainly one of the most popular drivers out there. People might hate him, but it is true that they cannot stop talking about him. And it is through pure talent and efforts that Hamlin has become what he is today.
With 51 wins, including victories in the Coca-Cola 600, Daytona 500, and Southern 500, Denny Hamlin’s story is one of sheer struggle and perseverance. People often cringe when young drivers get handed top rides as a result of big-money sponsorships or a big check from their parents. Hamlin’s story, however, is different.
In an exclusive interview with motorsport.com, Hamlin said, “I didn’t have anything handed to me. I had to work really, really hard for it. I worked a blue-collar job just like most everyone else has. I don’t know how many people in the field of NASCAR drivers right now actually had to work fast food or had to work as a welder or a fabricator in their dad’s shop.”
So why the hate for Denny Hamlin?
Back in 2005, Denny Hamlin was just a rookie and was viewed largely as a fresh-faced talent. He had little brawls here and here with Kyle Petty and some others but none of them were too egregious. However, one particular race at Richmond became a turning point in his popularity.
This soon put him in the clutches of Busch and Dale Jr. Both of them passed Hamlin, but Hamlin stopped on the last lap. Some of the fans were sympathetic, but suddenly, Hamlin fired up and tried to drive back to the pits. Although Busch was the villain back then, many disliked Hamlin’s cheeky move.
Perhaps the cardinal sin was committed when Hamlin wrecked The Most Popular Driver of NASCAR, Chase Elliott, in a playoff race at Martinsville back in 2017. The next incident was far more recent. Denny Hamlin drove his golf buddy Kyle Larson into the wall at Pocono with just 10 laps remaining in the race.
In an episode of Rubbin is Racing, Hamlin told Spider and Large, “At that point, you’re not a super popular driver or you get into it with popular driver it’s you know fans I understand they don’t see or think clearly, they don’t judge it through the lens of what happened is that okay or not. It just was my driver wronged or not.”
Hamlin went on to win his 7th victory at The Tricky Triangle but received boos from the grandstands. Needless to say, he didn’t care.
For him, winning was important and not the means that he resorted to, something that has been the case for him throughout his long and illustrious career so far.
