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Over the last 18 months, Denny Hamlin has firmly established himself as a NASCAR villain, and not just by chance. The JGR driver has fully embraced his rivalry with the fans, riling up the crowd after his Clash win over the weekend, chanting, “You know I beat your favorite driver again, right?” Since 2021, Hamlin has been involved in on-track incidents with Hendrick Motorsports duo Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, something he believes has played a big part in his public perception.
As he puts it, “Some of the incidents that I’ve had over time with Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, these are two of the most popular drivers in our series right, so when you have incidents with those guys, you’re gonna be the brunt of what the fan reaction is, and so I chose to embrace it.”
The latest incident between Hamlin and Larson at Pocono last year did not sit well with most, exacerbated by the lack of remorse the JGR driver showed after his aggressive move on the #5 driver. Having said that, the three-time Daytona 500 winner did reveal that by and large, the fan sentiment regarding him is not as bad as it might look to an outsider.
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Generally speaking, my rivalry with the fans has been actually a pretty friendly one. The ones that I interact with on this side of the fence, so they have pit passes, garage pass, it’s been very very respectful honestly. I’ve had a lot of really great fan interactions, I always try to sign for them when I have time. But when they’re on the other side of the fence, talking mess, I’m on the other side of the fence talking mess too,” added the 23XI owner, who is focused on his quest to get that first Cup Series title that has eluded him all these years.
What led to Hamlin’s original “I beat your favorite driver” chant?
After his victory at Bristol during the playoffs last year, Hamlin was booed incessantly by the crowd. His response? A cold “I beat your favorite driver! All of them!” And had the #11 driver planned any of it?
“It was spontaneous for sure in that moment, simply because of the crowd, I was just feeding off of the crowd..,” revealed Hamlin, who continued with an extension of that taunt after this week’s Clash at the LA Coliseum.
