Dale Earnhardt Jr. has seen all kinds of fan requests in his NASCAR career. 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.

But Denny’s move isn’t the only unforgettable fan moment in NASCAR history. Kyle Petty once had a bizarre autograph experience in Phoenix. “I get to the third guy and he said, ‘Sign it to me. My name’s Brian.’ And I said, ‘Well, how do you spell that? You know, is it B-R-Y, B-R-I?’ And he said, ‘B-R-A-I-N.’ And I said, ‘Okay, you spell Brian B-R-A-I-N.’ He said, ‘That’s how you spell it. You got a problem with that?’ I said, ‘Nope. B-R-A-I-N.’ I put it right on there.” Decades later, that same guy still shows up. Every year at Phoenix, he reminds Kyle, “Remember me? I’m Brain.” Petty laughs and says, “Yes, I do remember.” It’s the kind of bizarre loyalty NASCAR fans are famous for.

Some stories are heartwarming, others hilarious. Like Kyle Busch, who spotted a fan from Switzerland holding a sign at Las Vegas. The message? “I traveled 5685 miles… I want a picture and a win.” While Busch didn’t win but he gave the fan the next best thing. He stopped, signed his gear, and took a photo. NASCAR’s official account posted the moment with the caption, “Ask and you shall receive!” Not every win is on track.

Then there’s the fan who kissed Danica Patrick at Talladega or the infamous pace car thief at the same track in 1986. And who can forget Christopher Bell, who was asked—twice—to sign a man’s butt? “There’s no reason for either of you to do that,” he joked later. Yet he did it. These aren’t just gimmicks—they’re snapshots of the bond between the drivers and their hardcore fans.

All these moments lead to the same point: NASCAR isn’t polished. It’s raw, it’s weird, it’s real. Fans bring that energy, and sometimes drivers meet them in that madness. Denny Hamlin, fresh off calling NASCAR’s All-Star ideas “vague” and expensive, just added his own page to the book. Signing that forehead may have been silly, but it also reminded everyone, Denny Hamlin knows how to own a moment, even when the crowd boos.

Hamlin’s latest dig at NASCAR’s All-Star plan!

Denny Hamlin isn’t just showing out for fans; he’s also going toe-to-toe with NASCAR’s top brass. Ahead of the Wurth 400 at Texas, Hamlin reignited his battle against the proposed “run what ya brung” format for the 2025 All-Star Race. NASCAR pitched the idea to allow teams to tweak Next Gen parts like spoilers, diffusers, and ride height for one race. Sounds cool, but Hamlin isn’t buying it.

From the jump, Hamlin called the proposal vague and financially unrealistic. He argued it would cost teams upwards of $2 million just to compete. NASCAR’s Communications Managing Director, Mike Forde, wasn’t having it. He fired back, saying, “It wouldn’t cost them a dime.” But Hamlin didn’t back down. Now, ahead of the Texas race, he said, “I’m now a five-year-experienced team owner. So, I think I know what it costs.”

His point? Even if parts are technically free, the testing, research, and prep would drain team budgets. “If you’re only teching the parts they listed, then we’re going to mess around in all those other areas. Certainly, if we didn’t have to junk up three cars, the cost would go down. But still, financially, it doesn’t make sense,” Hamlin explained. He isn’t afraid to speak up, even when it ruffles feathers. And with the All-Star Race looming, his words are making as much noise off the track as his car does on it.