Denny Hamlin is one of the best in the business. When it comes to cooking up a controversy in the NASCAR community, there are very few better than him. The latest ‘personality’ to come under Denny’s crosshairs is 4-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon.

The former Hendrick Motorsports #24 driver was under fire from Denny Hamlin, who felt that Jeff Gordon had changed his opinion on what a driver’s involvement should look like. Following up on the debate at Homestead Miami Speedway, Denny continued his answer in a pre-race press conference, maintaining his stance that drivers will hog the limelight given the nature of the sport.

Denny Hamlin persists in his opinion against Jeff Gordon

The Racers Forum was graced by former NASCAR champions Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski. Gordon emphasized that he and his fellow superstars leaving the sport turned out for the better and moved attention away from individual brilliance. Brad Keselowski, on the other hand, conveyed the non-feasibility of star power for teams with an ever-decreasing presence of sponsors in the Cup.

In the presser prior to Sunday’s blockbuster at Homestead, Hamlin was questioned about his stance on the same. Answering the query, he replied, “If he’s wanting fans to resonate with the teams more than the drivers, good luck I don’t think that’ll happen. Our fans really latch onto a driver, it’s always been that way. There’ll generally be fans of the bigger teams, but there’s not that many there and it’s just different. It’ll be tough to make that happen and what campaign to do so, I’m not sure. The drivers are the stars and that’s where our fans resonate to.”

In the case of Joe Gibbs Racing, drivers have shared the responsibility of star power. Martin Truex Jr. and Christopher Bell have been names to stay wary of in the playoffs. While they have stayed away from controversy and conundrums, Denny will always be Denny Hamlin.

Read More: Denny Hamlin Declares NASCAR’s “Game of Chance” Would Be to Blame for His ‘Certain’ Championship Claim

The beef between Hamlin and Gordon

Gordon has also thrown shade on Denny Hamlin being at the center of controversy more often than not previously. He added that he’d want his drivers to focus more on what happens on the track than off it.

The driver of the No. 11 from JGR took the comments with a pinch of salt. Replying to the allegations, he said, “He’s saying that I like it but I don’t like my guys to… Well, That sounds like a guy I don’t want to go to war with, like, ‘Hey I’ll go to war but you go up front. I mean, Jeff Gordon said that? “

“So, he wants me to sit back? He thinks it’s a distraction if it was on his team. Well, thank God, I don’t drive for him. Has he even watched a race in the last 12 weeks?”

Watch This Story: Denny Hamlin Ashamed By NASCAR’s Broken Hof As Jimmie Johnson Suffers Jeff Gordon Disgrace

Will this spat between two legends of the sport be reflected in the Cup Series playoffs? The relationship between Las Vegas winner Kyle Larson and Hamlin worsened after the Pocono incident.