Denny Hamlin didn’t get to race in the Daytona 500 until Monday evening, but Sunday brought an awesome moment to him anyways.
The veteran NASCAR wheelman was able to chop it up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, as he was at the track, preparing to be the Grand Marshall for The Great American Race. There was a great soundbite during an interview The Rock did, where he compared his heelish character in WWE to Hamlin’s NASCAR persona.
During his latest Actions Detrimental podcast episode, Hamlin reacted to Johnson’s comments, and it’s evident he thought it was awesome to hear The Rock speak on his name with such authority.
“I did,” Hamlin responded, regarding whether he met The Rock at Daytona. “You know he had his media availability, and kind of threw me a bone here and there. Obviously, it related kind of to what his role now is in the WWE. So it was really cool to hear someone like him kind of bring up your name, and he was aware that you existed, and kind of knows what your role is in the series.”
Alas, Hamlin’s never had a problem playing the heel in NASCAR, and perhaps he’ll take some pointers from The Rock’s performance over the next couple months, as the WWE is on the Road to WrestleMania. There’s sure to be a couple incredible moments that Hamlin could try to emulate in a post-race interview.
Regardless, it’s evident Denny Hamlin’s star is shining brighter than ever, especially if The Rock is a fan of his. We’ll see if it translates to success for the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran moving forward in 2024.
More on Denny Hamlin, Daytona 500
While the shoutout from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was awesome, it was really the highlight of the weekend for Denny Hamlin.
After winning The Clash, some theorized Hamlin could go back-to-back to begin the NASCAR Cup Series season, especially with his past victories at Daytona, but it wasn’t meant to be for the veteran racer.
The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota was collected in a huge wreck that took out almost half the field, but he still managed to come home P19 at least. That’s a far cry from his usual performance at Daytona, but we all know it takes a little luck to win The Great American Race, and Hamlin didn’t have any.
In the end, Hamlin led some laps, got a shoutout from The Rock and came home in the top-half of the field. It’s not an ideal finish for Denny Hamlin, but he’s had worse weekends at the track, we’re willing to bet.