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Denny Hamlin Basks in His Kyle Busch Era as He Takes a Gibe at Darlington Haters

Published 09/03/2023, 7:31 AM EDT

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On Saturday, Denny Hamlin proved that he still has prowess left in him. In his annual ritual of participating in the Xfinity Series hosted on the track of Darlington, the No. 19 Toyota driver was able to persist in the late restart and was finally able to clinch the chequered and claim his sixth title in ‘Lady in Black’.

In what seemed like a nail-biting display of power and individual racing talent, Austin Hill was just steps away from crossing the start-finish line. However, the hard work went for naught after the race went under caution and continued into overtime. Nonetheless, Hamlin emerged victorious, but his victory failed to animate the fans. And the response from fans hardly made a dent in Hamlin’s jubilant demeanor; instead, he seemed to be relishing it.

JGR’s Denny Hamlin follows his former teammate’s style to throw a punch at his haters

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Very few sports enthusiasts are as pro-active as NASCAR fans. These fans have played a pivotal role in the development of the sport, supporting their favorite driver every weekend. However, it is just a matter of time before they become livid, bash, and critique their favorite NASCAR driver. The Xfinity race on Saturday witnessed the antagonistic side of the fans after Denny Hamlin scored the victory. 

An exhilarated Denny Hamlin was seen grinning from cheek to cheek after scoring his sixth Xfinity race victory in Darlington, however, the fans on the grandstands showered a boisterous cascade of boos on Hamlin. Many fans were even caught flipping the bird and pointing at the driver. 

These pictures were posted by the Hamlin, himself on his Twitter profile with the word, “Boooo”.

The incident seems to bring back memories from the Bristol race back in 2021 when Kyle Busch got under the skin of the fans. The incident occurred when the driver was being introduced during the driver’s introduction and the fans were heard booing the driver.

As a befitting reply, the former teammate of Hamlin, Kyle Busch was heard saying on the microphone, “Let me hear you go Boooo.”

Yet, Freddie Kraft, Bubba Wallace’s spotter came to Hamlin’s rescue in the ongoing Twitter and wrote, “Guys he’s not even driving the 11,” given the No.11 is Hamlin’s car number for the Cup Series and not Xfinity series.

Watch this Story: Denny Hamlin Warns Bubba Wallace To Watch Out Amid Creeping Playoff Desperation

Hamlin bashes NASCAR fans for their behavior

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This is not the first time in the ongoing season, that Denny Hamlin has been subjected to such a treatment. A similar incident occurred on the track of Pocono, after his contentious victory after shoving Kyle Larson to the wall. The fans riffed with anger and were heard booing Hamlin, for intentionally wrecking Kyle Larson to notch another victory in the season.

In order to justify his on-track actions Hamlin expressed, “Both guys wrecked themselves. There was a lane. He missed the corner first and evidently, he didn’t have his right-side tires clean and when he gassed it up he kept going again. You have an option in those positions to either hold it wide open and hit the fence or lift and race it out. But those are choices they made. I didn’t hit either one of them. I didn’t touch them.”

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Commenting upon the behavior of the fans, Hamlin asserted, I love it! They can boo my rock out of here in a few years!”

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This demeanor and expression often turn out to be irreverent in nature and often demotivating in nature. Nevertheless, with the playoffs beginning on Sunday, it is to be seen whether Hamlin is able to latch onto his momentum or will fall back in the pack losing the sight of championship.

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Written by:

Ayantika Maitra

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Ayantika Maitra is a NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. It was initially Formula 1 that made her fall in love with the world of motorsports. But quickly, the raw and unfiltered nature of NASCAR is what led her to build an affinity for the Stock Car Racing Series.
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Edited by:

Shivali Nathta