Denny Hamlin, a driver who’s as polarizing as he is skilled, has spent more than two decades carving his way into the hearts of NASCAR fans. He’s known for speaking his mind without sugarcoating and has embraced the persona of a man whom the crowd loves to boo. Even after hard-fought victories, jeers often rained down simply because he outdueled their favorite driver. This season, however, things have been different.
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After his emotional win in Las Vegas last month, the tide seemed to turn. NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace took a deep dive into what might have sparked the sudden support for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver.
Hamlin’s win at the South Point 400 marked his 60th career win and sealed his return to the Championship 4 for the first time since 2021. More than that, he showcased a moment of vulnerability that the sport has rarely seen him express over the years.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Hamlin dedicated the win to his ailing father. When he climbed from his No. 11 Toyota on the front stretch, the crowd rose to its feet. Cheers replaced boos, applause drowned out cynicism, and even those who once rooted against him tipped their caps. That raw, human moment struck a chord across NASCAR Nation.
Wallace, sipping his morning coffee, reflected on the shift. He believed fans were beginning to see Hamlin in a new light, not just as the sharp-tongued competitor but as a man racing against time to fulfill a dream for his father: winning the Championship.
“For the first time in Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR history, he is in the top five for most popular driver voting. He can’t believe it. And he’s thinking, well, maybe it’s all these reasons…” Wallace said.
Wallace further recalled Hamlin’s own musings. Perhaps fans were re-evaluating moments that once fueled their disdain. “Denny Hamlin says, maybe it was the sound bite in 2017 at Martinsville. The sound bite about Joe Logano that’s just racing, or when he accidentally got in and spun Chase Elliott out.”
“So, Denny Hamlin says maybe you all started hating him for these Joey, the guy, said that’s just short track racing. Did that piss you off? Or when he spun out the most popular driver, Chase Elliot? But then he said, Maybe what’s turned the corner here is he said, was it Vegas that made you all start liking him?”
Hamlin, Wallace noted, is well aware of his father’s fragile condition. “There’s no doubt in his mind, this is Denny Hamlin’s dad’s last chance to see him win a championship,” Wallace said. “So, I think you all do have a ticking heart out there. You do have a heart. And I think everybody sees that this is his showmanship.”
For years, Hamlin has embraced his role as the sport’s provocateur, much like Michael Jordan thrived on psychological warfare in basketball. He loves stirring the pot, playing the villain when it suits him. But, as Wallace suggested, Vegas peeled back the curtain. Maybe fans accidentally saw the human side of him, and that’s when it clicked that Hamlin’s just a showman, just having fun with the die-hards.
Now, as Hamlin chases the one prize that has eluded him, fans who once booed him off the stage finally seem to be warming up. The boos haven’t vanished entirely, but they’ve softened, replaced by something closer to respect. For Hamlin, the man long cast as NASCAR’s antagonist, that may be the sweetest victory of all.
