NASCAR’s off-track drama can be just as entertaining as the races themselves, and the latest viral feud between FOX broadcaster Dylan “Mamba” Smith and veteran driver Denny Hamlin proves it. The two shared a hilarious and light-hearted moment on social media following a prank during the driver introductions at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday.

Ahead of the regular season finale, Smith faked a handshake with Hamlin, running his hand through his own hair instead of shaking Hamlin’s hand. The two shared a laugh with each other as the driver continued across the stage. The exchange was seen by 50,000 people when Smith shared the video on X (formerly Twitter), but the driver wasn’t going to let him have the last laugh. Following the sharing of the video on the social media website, a light-hearted argument flared between the two.

“[You’re] so cool bro,” Hamlin replied sarcastically. “Don’t let the ratios get to you.” Smith fired back with confidence: “See you on the stage next week Champ.” Hamlin then escalated: “[It’s] 3x Southern 500 champ to you. Make sure you get it right when you say my name.” Smith delivered what appeared to be the final word with a cutting response: “You’ll get what you get, smile, and do your princess wave regardless.”

For context, Smith was recently at the center of some controversy while trying to defend the current playoff format, posting on X that “the point isn’t to crown the best driver … It’s to crown the best team who executed the best when the pressure was at its highest and the lights were the brightest.” That comment drew the fury of NASCAR nation, and Hamlin himself, who has been among those openly calling for a format change.

The exchange came after the superspeedway race, which saw a number of drivers taken out in Stage 1. Hamlin finished 25th after being collected in an early pileup on Lap 27, a disappointing result for a man who has three victories in the Daytona 500.

Now Mamba has spoken on air about it and he does not seem happy. The playful banter has escalated into a full-on challenge, with Smith throwing down the gauntlet for a face-to-face debate. It’s the kind of spicy off-track story that keeps fans hooked, turning a simple prank into a viral sensation that’s got everyone talking about more than just the playoffs.

Mamba wants a one-on-one with Hamlin

In the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour Podcast, Mamba talked about the incident, and it was clear he wasn’t backing down. Mamba said it out loud, “This all started because last week I said… It’s about the tweet where I said about crowning the best team, not the best driver. Denny disagreed and then on Actions Detrimental podcast, he brought it up and kind of drugged me a little bit.”

Smith was referencing his tweet defending NASCAR’s playoff system, which stirred debate across the garage and fanbase. His stance, that the format rewards the best team under pressure rather than simply the “best driver” clashed head-on with Denny Hamlin’s long-standing criticisms. Hamlin has been one of the playoff format’s most vocal opponents, pointing to examples like Kevin Harvick in 2020, who won nine races, led 1,531 laps, and posted 20 top-5 finishes yet didn’t even reach the Championship 4 after a crash at Martinsville.

For Hamlin, that’s proof the system is broken. But Smith argued the opposite, saying the playoffs are designed to mirror sports like the NFL or March Madness, where timing and execution in crunch time outweigh regular-season dominance. When Hamlin addressed Smith’s comment on his Actions Detrimental podcast, he used his trademark sarcasm, joking about not knowing who Smith was, fueling the playful beef between them.

Mamba kept the heat on, laying out his challenge loud and clear, “For people who don’t know, he was talking shit and acting like he didn’t know who I was. I heard you bro. So let’s do this. You can come right here on Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast and we can debate or I can come to your place. Wherever he wants to be we can talk about it.”

This was Smith doubling down, turning a lighthearted social media moment into a public challenge. Hamlin brushing him off isn’t surprising; he’s often dismissed rivals with sarcasm, famously needling Ross Chastain after their 2022 clashes or mocking Joey Logano in press conferences.

But Mamba flipped it into an opportunity, calling Hamlin onto Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, a podcast that has quickly become one of NASCAR’s most unfiltered discussion hubs since Harvick’s 2023 retirement. Harvick’s show thrives on debates, recently featuring takes on Jimmie Johnson’s 2016 title and Kyle Busch’s 2015 championship, so Mamba positioning Hamlin there fits perfectly into NASCAR’s new media landscape.

For Smith, who has risen as a bold personality through Dirty Mo Media, the moment reflects the sport’s shift into podcasts and social platforms as major storytelling arenas. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s The Dale Jr. Download and Hamlin’s own Actions Detrimental have blurred the line between media and competitors, giving fans raw, unfiltered storylines.

Hamlin blames Wallace for Daytona’s big wreck

Denny Hamlin believes that Bubba Wallace caused the “big one” at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. On the Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin reacted to being involved in a wreck that began with Wallace.

“It looked like to me that Bubba just squeezed those two guys below him down,” Denny Hamlin said. “You could just see that they’re there, two cars on the inside. I don’t know what Freddie [Kraft, Wallace’s spotter] was calling. Maybe he was saying three wide top or not, I’m not sure, but he [Wallace] just squeezed on down there, and there was no room. So he ended up wrecking himself, and obviously a few others.”

Hamlin, the co-owner of 23XI, was then asked if Wallace took a shove from Kyle Larson before the wreck. “I’m looking at it, and I don’t think so,” Hamlin replied. “The five [Larson] was already on him close, but no. That’s just the 23 [Wallace] not clear. It’s just one of those not-clear moments.” The wreck ended Wallace’s night and put Hamlin in a spot where he could never recover.

Hamlin and Wallace are moving on from Daytona because they have clinched spots in the playoffs. The first playoff race will take place on Sunday, Aug. 31, when the drivers compete in the Southern 500 at Darlington. With the feud between Hamlin and Mamba heating up and the playoffs kicking off, NASCAR’s drama is revving higher than ever. It’s these moments, pranks turning into challenges, wrecks sparking blame, that make the sport feel alive, keeping fans on the edge of their seats for what’s next.