Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin faces a pivotal season in his NASCAR career. The veteran driver, who has spent around 20 years with JGR, finds himself in a troubling position of hunting for sponsorship. While JGR recently secured National Debt Relief for four key races, it’s only a short-term fix. Unlike his teammates, Hamlin lacks a full-season primary sponsor, leaving questions about his future.
Adding to the uncertainty, Hamlin enters 2025 with a new crew chief, Chris Gayle. He will be replacing Chris Gabehart atop the No. 11 pit box. With the NASCAR Cup Series preseason race set for this weekend, Hamlin must adjust quickly to chase his first Cup Series title. But while his NASCAR future remains uncertain, Hamlin made headlines by joining his fiancé, Jordan Fish, to cheer Michale Jordan’s ex-team Charlotte Hornets.
While it seemed like a simple outing, fans had other ideas. The reactions on social media were instant, and many were not kind. Fans trolled Hamlin while drawing comparisons between his NASCAR career and the Hornets’ struggles. Notably, Hamlin’s courtside appearance came during the Hornets’ hard-fought battle against the LA Clippers.
However, his presence didn’t help the team as the Hornets lost the game by 112-104. Clippers’ star Norman Powell led the way with 27 points, while Kawhi Leonard added 21 points and nine rebounds. Despite the loss, the Hornets fought hard by keeping the game close in the fourth quarter. James Harden contributed 14 points and 10 assists, while Ivica Zubac dominated the boards with 11 rebounds. Derrick Jones Jr. and Amir Coffey chipped in valuable points off the bench, but it wasn’t enough to stop LA’s late-game surge.
Notably, Hamlin’s connection to the Hornets runs deep. His allegiance with the team allowed him to establish himself as a star in the NASCAR world. In 2010, while Hamlin attended a Hornets game as a season ticket holder, security pulled him aside and took him to team owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan, who wanted to meet him. “I was completely star-struck. He gets my phone number, and then the second half of the game he’s asking me all these racing questions… ‘This guy watches NASCAR?!’ I was just blown away by it,” Hamlin recalled.
.@dennyhamlin in the Hive pic.twitter.com/AWpDgWhQNS
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 1, 2025
That conversation led to a friendship built on golf outings, sponsorship deals, and, eventually, a business partnership. In 2020, a rumor surfaced that Hamlin and Jordan were buying into Richard Petty Motorsports. While false, it sparked an idea that led to the creation of 23XI Racing later that year. For Hamlin, the Hornets weren’t just an NBA team. They were the backdrop to one of the biggest career moves of his life.
Fan’s brutal assessment of Denny Hamlin
While Denny Hamlin’s appearance at the NBA game was meant to be a casual night out, fans wasted no time roasting him online. The Hornets’ struggles, combined with Hamlin’s championship drought, made for easy material. One fan sarcastically wrote, “And the Hornets are eliminated from championship contention!” This comment reflects how Hamlin and Hornets are mirroring each other’s performance.
Since 2010, the Hornets have struggled to put up a show. They had just three playoff entries and had the highest finish of sixth in the Eastern Conference. Similarly, Denny Hamlin has also struggled to win a single NASCAR Cup championship. Despite winning more than 50 cup races, he has failed to put up a show in the postseason eluding himself from a prestigious title. Their performances have established a narrative that both Hamlin and the Hornets are talented but unable to secure a championship. “Of course, he likes a team that can’t win a championship,” one user quipped. Echoing similar sentiments, another fan wrote, “Looks like a mutual consensus of not winning a championship soon for Hamster and the Hornets.”
However, not all reactions were negative. One longtime supporter encouraged Hamlin, writing, “Dude, I remember seeing you many years ago sweeping the deck and cleaning house at Langley. Go out there and show those Sim Kids what racing is really about. 2025 NASCAR CHAMPION.”
Notably, Hamlin is known as the biggest driver who never won a Cup series championship. He has the highest number of wins in the elite class without a title. In 2024, Hamlin had started on a very high note with three wins in the first eleven races. However, constant failures and penalties quickly crushed his championship aspirations, pushing him out of title contention. With a news crew chief, fans would expect him to make a comeback in the upcoming season.
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