Amid His Recent Popularity Dip, Denny Hamlin Once Confessed if Booing Fans Bother Him

So, Denny Hamlin wanted to dethrone Chase Elliott. But how? After the constant booing faced by the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, things did not look all rosy for Denny Hamlin back in 2021. Especially in relation to the NASCAR MVP award. But adamant herald a change, Hamlin did not hesitate to request NASCAR fans to support him in his endeavor.

Last year at the Martinsville Speedway, Alex Bowman unintentionally spun Denny Hamlin out. Because of this, a frustrated Hamlin drove in to interrupt Bowman’s victory celebration, pushing his #48 back in the process. Seeing the interaction as distasteful, NASCAR fans condemned Hamlin’s approach by throwing a beer can, and of course, booing.

And when asked about what he felt about all the backlash, Hamlin said something unexpected; “It’s just Chase Elliott fans, man. They’re just, you know, they’re not…they don’t think straightly.” Furthermore, he said that the booing didn’t bother him and continued; “They’re going to boo the s*** out of me next week, I can tell you that.”

But wait, what did Chase Elliott have to do with it all?

The cat is let out of the bag. Elliott and Hamlin have not been the best of friends. Moreover, their constant run-ins have sparked debates among their respective fan following. Hence, when Hamlin faced all the boos, his natural reaction was to pin it all on the Chase Elliott fans.

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However, it’s been a year since all that, and Hamlin’s dream is not coming true this year too. In fact, when NASCAR released the top 10 most popular drivers for 2022, it disheartened the Hamlin Nation to see that the Joe Gibbs Racing driver didn’t make it to the list.

When Denny Hamlin appealed to NASCAR fans: 

On November 9, 2021, NASCAR announced that the voting for Most Popular Driver of the year was now open. Encouraging fans to pick their favorites, the sanctioning body asked all fans to allow their voices to be heard.

Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to reveal his motives, Denny Hamlin posted a tweet with an appeal to NASCAR fans.

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Well, unfortunately for Hamlin, Chase Elliott continued his streak of wins. However, fans loved the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s attempts to call out the Hamlin Nation. With the 2022 MVP awards around the corner, fans are more than excited to see if there is someone who can break the Elliott streak this year.