Denny Hamlin has long been the villain in the eyes of many NASCAR fans. His aggressive style on the track rubs people the wrong way. Think back to Dale Earnhardt Sr., dubbed “The Intimidator” for his no-holds-barred approach. In 1999 at Bristol, Earnhardt bumped Terry Labonte out of the way on the last lap to snag the win, spinning Labonte and drawing massive boos from the crowd.
That kind of move cemented Earnhardt’s bad-boy image, much like Hamlin’s clashes do today. Fans see Hamlin as co–y and unapologetic, especially after moments like his 2025 Michigan victory, where he fired off, “I beat your favorite driver, all of them.” That line fueled the fire, turning cheers into jeers at intros.
Yet, Hamlin’s record speaks volumes: three Daytona 500 wins, including back-to-back in 2019 and 2020, and 58 Cup Series victories overall. He’s a force, co-owning 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, adding layers to his story. But is Denny Hamlin’s persona what NASCAR thinks it is, or is it different?
The truth behind Denny Hamlin’s image
In a recent chat with Jeff Gluck for The Athletic’s 12 questions, Hamlin opened up when asked what folks get wrong about him. “I mean, I don’t think I’m an a—hole,” he said plainly. This stems from years of building a tough-guy rep, starting with his early feuds.
Back in 2013, a run-in with Joey Logano at Bristol led to Hamlin spinning him, sparking a heated post-race exchange. Their bad blood boiled over at Fontana, where contact sent Hamlin crashing hard, fracturing his vertebra and sidelining him for weeks. Incidents like these paint him as the aggressor, feeding the villain narrative.
Dig deeper, and you see patterns that strengthen this view. In 2023, Hamlin admitted on his podcast to intentionally wrecking Ross Chastain at Phoenix out of payback, earning a 25-point penalty and $50,000 fine from NASCAR. Fans blasted him for it, seeing it as dirty racing.
Then there’s the 2023 COTA clash with Austin Dillon, where late-race contact spun both out, Hamlin owned up, texting Dillon to apologize, saying he hit debris and lost control. But moves like stirring the pot in the Kyle Busch-Joey Logano feud that same year, calling it “spicy” on his show, keep the heat on his image as a troublemaker.
Hamlin pushes back, explaining the disconnect. In the interview, Gluck probed. “But people do think that? Who? Fans from TV interviews?” Hamlin replied, “It’s more than likely people who have never met me, or saw me walking somewhere and I didn’t have time to stop. I always try to when I can. Or maybe the s—talking I do on the track makes them think that’s just who I am.” He sees his on-track banter as part of the game, not his core self.
This vulnerability ties to his “superpower” of trash-talking to psych out rivals, as he shared in a 2024 TIME piece, but off-track, he aims to be approachable. His four wins in 2025, sitting third in points with 731, show his focus on racing over drama. Beyond clearing the air on his rep, Hamlin keeps things light with racing banter. That leads to his take on tackling top talents like Shane van Gisbergen.
Hamlin’s conspiracy joke on SVG
Denny Hamlin cracked a joke on his Actions Detrimental podcast about needing a “conspiracy” to beat Shane van Gisbergen on road courses. “There’s going to be a race where something happens that’s gonna take him out. Like, he got taken out of Chicago. Remember, in the wet somebody made a mistake,” Hamlin said. He added, “He’s not going to make it on his own. It’s going to be into Turn 1. Somebody ping-pongs into someone else, and it knocks him into Shane after he just pitted. Like, that’s what we need. We need a conspiracy.” This came after SVG’s dominant Watkins Glen win, his fourth road course victory in 2025.
Fans often split on Hamlin’s humor, with some seeing it as fun smack-talk that adds spice to NASCAR. His polarizing style draws boos, as he noted in TIME, where noise, good or bad, means impact. This joke fits his pattern of riling up the crowd, much like his Michigan quip, turning rivalries into entertainment. Yet, it highlights real challenges; Hamlin finished 25th at Watkins Glen while SVG cruised to victory.
Others view such comments as salty, reinforcing his villain tag amid SVG’s rise. Hamlin’s history of feuds makes fans question if it’s jealousy or strategy. Still, his candor resonates with supporters who appreciate the honesty, especially as he eyes playoffs starting at Darlington. It’s all part of what keeps NASCAR buzzing.
The post “I Don’t Think I’m an A–hole”- Denny Hamlin Gets Real on the Racing World’s Personality Misconception appeared first on EssentiallySports.
