Dale Earnhardt Jr. has seen all kinds of fan requests. But nothing rattled him quite like the time someone wanted his signature tattooed on their arm. On his podcast, he described how uncomfortable it made him. “I was at an autograph session the other week, and a guy came up and he was like, ‘I want you to autograph my arm. I’m going to get it tattooed.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, this is such a terrible decision. I don’t even want to be a part of this.”
For Dale Jr., signing body parts feels off. The ink doesn’t show up well, and the idea of it being permanent unsettles him. “People ask you to autograph their arm, their shoulder. For me, that’s uncomfortable, it makes me uncomfortable.” This moment revealed the fine line between admiration and obsession in NASCAR fandom. The access fans get to their heroes is personal and often unpredictable. While Dale Jr. might pass on writing across someone’s skin, others lean in. Big. Bold. Permanent.
Fast-forward to Texas Motor Speedway in 2025. Driver intros echo with jeers. Denny Hamlin steps out to a thunderous wave of boos—an 8 out of 10, according to Jeff Gluck. But in that hostile energy, something wild happens. A fan walks up to Hamlin with a bizarre request: Sign my forehead. Without flinching, Hamlin grabs a marker and tags him like a legend. It was bold. It was absurd. And it was peak NASCAR. Like Ricky Bobby at Talladega Nights, Hamlin marked his territory with flair.
However, this might have surprised many, but it should not, as Hamlin has been one of those guys who always have time for his fans. In a recent interview, he told Kenny Wallace, “I try to do my best to accommodate fans who come to racetracks. If I see someone wearing my gear, if I’m not late to somewhere, I will stop and sign for them or say hello to them. The rivalry that I have with fans from the last years or so, the sport has been the spirit of the game. Sometimes you need some self-motivation to push yourself to the next level.”
Notably, Hamlin’s forehead autograph draws comparisons to another fan-favorite wild moment. At Talladega, YouTube racer Cleetus McFarland (Garrett Mitchell) had a similar interaction with a superfan named LS George. The fan wanted his head signed. Cleetus delivered, signing his forehead with flair. The moment exploded on social media and became an instant classic in NASCAR fandom lore. Now, it seems Hamlin has added his own chapter.
Denny Hamlin just signed a guy’s forehead pic.twitter.com/D0bLf3lTk2
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) May 4, 2025
This is a developing story.
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