The scene was electric, not for the packed crowd but for Denny Hamlin, who went on to claim his 51st career win at the 500-lap race in Bristol. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran was at his usual cold self when he methodically ran down car after car to reach the victory lane in style.

What followed was a rain of boos from the stands. Seeing the controversialist take the sword at Bristol Motor Speedway wasn’t the sight anyone in the crowd hoped to see. However, Hamlin, being Hamlin, rubbed salt in their wounds, saying he bested all of their favorite drivers, to which the detractors hurled more boo-birds at the driver as he stood there with a smirk. Basking in his glory, the 42-year-old even delivered a cheeky blow to his partner, taking the chance to subtly mock his former partner.

Denny Hamlin sees it and takes it, delivering a sarcastic roast to his former partner

23XI Racing co-owner and NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin is certainly embracing the villain role. Despite being the fastest with an exceptional machine at hand, a win eluded the driver. But as the playoff elimination goes past Bristol, Hamlin has the last laugh, acing the half-mile track and besting the competition.

He now has three wins, making him the third-ranked driver. While the veteran’s rally looked easy, it certainly wasn’t. Hamlin encountered a severe challenge from his younger teammate, Christopher Bell, who claimed the race’s first two stages. He was then chased by Kyle Larson, who looked like he had a shot.

However, Hamlin kept his composure, distancing himself from the rest as he racked up his third career win at Bristol. Though the fans never wanted to welcome the driver to the victory lane, nobody could stop the veteran. The JGR driver carried the dark energy in him as he embraced his villainous side, taking a subtle jab at his estranged partner, Jordan Fish.

When asked about his relationship with his crew chief, Chris Gabehart, Hamlin said, “It’s like marriage, but I guess I wouldn’t know anything about that.” NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck highlighted the veteran’s remarks with a simple tweet that got the community thinking about Hamlin’s true personality.

WATCH THIS STORY: “I didn’t trust this team” – Michael Jordan’s partnership with Denny Hamlin outperforms expectations in Kansas and shuts down critics 

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The Bristol winner gets the boos once again but trolls the crowd back this time

The Bristol short track was amplified with boos raining down from the packed stands, a sight that would demoralize any other driver. But not Hamlin; instead, the veteran poked the bear even more, to the point that he exchanged words with the crowd, asking them, “Everybody likes a winner, right?” 

To which the crowd hurled even more in response. Hamlin then taunted them more while he thanked his Fed-Ex team for supporting him with a competent race car. “Man, it’s our year, I just feel like we’ve got everything all put together, we got the speed on every single type of race track, nothing can stop us at this point,” said the 42-year-old before adding more insult.

READ MORE: NASCAR Insider Fuels Denny Hamlin’s Playoff Misery as Scary Kansas Stats Come to Light

He then looked at the booing crowd with a smirk and said, “Hey, I beat your favorite driver,” and when the pit reporter asked which one, he poured more salt into the wounds, saying, “All of them.“