For someone who never shies away from speaking his mind on how other drivers race him, Denny Hamlin sure seems like he could learn a lesson or two in practicing what he preaches.
On a late restart at Pocono Raceway, Hamlin stuffed race leader Kyle Larson into the outside wall, then held on for the win after Ryan Preece spun on the final lap, which ended the race under caution. The fans made sure their voices were heard.
It’s the latest in a long line of sticky situations both on and off the race track involving Hamlin, who is one of the most unpopular drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. He’s won two races in 2023, and both of them have come by way of wrecking the same driver, Larson, for the win.
Hamlin did the same thing at Pocono last season, putting Ross Chastain into the wall while racing for the lead late in the going. This particular incident was likely payback for what had been an ongoing feud between Hamlin and Chastain, and Hamlin went on to win the race … until he was disqualified for failing post-race inspection.
There have also been occasions in which Hamlin has ended up on the wrong side of a late-race duel, such as Martinsville in 2021 when Alex Bowman spun him while battling for the win. On such occasions, he has tended to not react very well.
Going back to 2017, when he spun Chase Elliott for the lead at Martinsville, Hamlin has embraced the role of one of NASCAR’s most prolific villains. NASCAR has always depended on controversial personalities to draw fans into its entertainment product, and there is nothing wrong with that.
However, it’s more than understandable how Hamlin’s blatant hypocrisy rubs many the wrong way, and this is only the latest example. He claimed after the race that he was not to blame for the contact, which clearly wasn’t true, and it’s hard to believe he’d be singing the same tune had he been the one put in the wall.
When drivers like Dale Earnhardt, Sr., Tony Stewart, and Kyle and Kurt Busch wore NASCAR’s black hat, they proudly owned their controversial tactics. Hamlin instead acts as if he is never in the wrong, and the boos he was serenaded with on Sunday were much more deserved than his result was.