If there is one wheelman in the whole NASCAR ecosphere that the average fan is guaranteed to have an opinion about, it’s Denny Hamlin.
And these days, that opinion might land somewhere squarely in the nexus between extremely negative and visceral hatred.
Most of the words that would they would use aren’t fit for publication here, but suffice to say they would not be positive words of love affirmation and respect. In fact, most assuredly, quite the opposite.
Put another way, the heel of NASCAR is unquestionably Hamlin. And it’s a role he seems to have embraced in 2023. Just take his Instagram post at the banquet for an example.
At the season finale in Phoenix Raceway (and at just about every other track on the circuit), the boos were so loud during driver introductions that I didn’t even need to look up from my camera to know he had just walked out onto the stage. At this point, there’s no question he’s a true pantomime villain and perhaps the most-hated driver in NASCAR, supplanting his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.
On the surface, there’s a lot to like about Hamlin. He’s a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer with a stellar driving resume and 18 full seasons driving for the powerhouse JGR. He has notched 51 wins, good for 13th on the all-time list — three Daytona 500s, two Southern 500s, a Coca-Cola 600 and an All-Star Race win among them — and victories on all types of tracks.
But as every good hater will remind you in a nanosecond, he’s also a choker who still hasn’t won the championship his talent surely dictates he deserves.
Now, the choking reputation is somewhat overblown, outside of 2010 when no question he did in fact blow it. On the other five occasions he’s gone into the last race (2006, 2014, 2019, 2020 and 2021) with a shot at the title he simply didn’t have the car to win on the day — again, despite what the haters would tell you. You could be the second coming of Richard Petty, Mario Andretti and Juan Fangio, but if you don’t have the speed, you’re (barring luck) not getting it done.
These days, in addition to co-owning 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, Hamlin runs a popular and aptly named podcast, “Actions Detrimental,” and never shy of an opinion or a quote. To that end, said NASCAR President Steve Phelps to The Athletic earlier this month, “I appreciate [Hamlin’s] personality. I appreciate his talent. I appreciate what…
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