When you think of the great heels currently in NASCAR, Denny Hamlin comes to mind.
NASCAR fans routinely boo Hamlin when he wins races, and he has had multiple run-ins on the track with two of the most popular drivers in the Cup Series, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson. As a result, Hamlin has started to embrace being the heel of the sport.
When it comes to Monday’s Daytona 500, the 66th running of NASCAR’s premier event, Hamlin won’t be the only heel on hand. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, the famed actor and WWE star, will serve as the Grand Marshal and deliver the four most famous words in motorsports.
Johnson, who returned to WWE earlier this month, recently turned heel, aligning himself with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. The Bloodline is a dominant faction made up of members of the famous Anoaʻi family, of which Johnson is a part of.
If you listened to The Rock’s promo on “SmackDown” on Friday or are familiar with his work in 2003 under the “Hollywood Rock” persona, then you know how good of a heel he is. Speaking with the media Sunday, Johnson complimented Hamlin for embracing the role of being a heel and offered some advice for how to dig in even deeper.
Denny Hamlin claps back at booing fans after winning The Clash
“My advice to Denny Hamlin is to not only embrace it, but he also gets the opportunity to say and do a lot of things [other] people can’t. A lot of people wish they can, but they don’t,” Johnson said, via Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. “So, you don’t have to. Let me and Denny do the talking and get the boos.”
To Hamlin’s credit, that is exactly what he has done. After finishing first in the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum earlier this month, Hamlin climbed out of his No. 11 Toyota to a chorus of jeers. He was unfazed, however, trolling the crowd in attendance during the post-race interview on the track.
“You know I beat your favorite driver again, right?” Hamlin said.