Denny Hamlin is under the crosshairs again. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has been a constant target for the fandom’s criticism for a long time. Unsurprisingly, Hamlin has never pulled out of the tug of war either. Hamlin’s declaration of war against the fans at Bristol Motor Speedway has only acted as a catalyst for all the shade directed at him. Fans even followed up on that at the Martinsville playoff race on Sunday with jeers and boos to welcome the 42-year-old.

However, despite his tactics to incite the fans, Hamlin’s prowess as a race car driver has never been in doubt. Even at Martinsville, despite having to bear an exit from the competition, Hamlin was one of the best-performing drivers. While the boos may seem unwarranted, team owner Joe Gibbs believes that the criticism is something that comes with popularity in the sport, as he drew similarities to the late Dale Earnhardt.

Joe Gibbs uses Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt as references in Hamlin’s defense

NASCAR has always been about the drivers. Drivers have always resonated better with the fans than their respective teams ever have. Through the years, the connection between them has undergone a shuffle, but they continue to be the focal point of NASCAR. Due to this very reason, some fanbase factions are often pitted against each other. Jeff Gordon vs. Dale Earnhardt was a famous rivalry in the late 1990s; both drivers had earned a set of loyal fans. Due to this, each faction would take advantage of a chance to ridicule the other driver. As per Mr. Gibbs, that is one of the many quintessential aspects of the sport.

In a virtual interview with Auto Racing Daily and HMS owner Rick Hendrick, Gibbs started by saying, “I think I can always remember I got a question on Jeff Gordon one time.”

“Why do people boo Jeff Gordon? I said you got to realize in our sport, you know, what’s the most you’re going to get of fans? What’s the most Dale Earnhardt got? 30 percent? I don’t know. You got a huge group of fans that are going to be pulling against you. I think that’s one of the thrills about our sport,” Gibbs pondered.

In Hamlin’s case, he has always been provocative. His approach to criticism has been slightly different than the names Mr. Gibbs mentioned. The “Intimidator” was usually a target due to his aggressive driving style and the risk he posed to other drivers on the track. On the other hand, Denny Hamlin has engaged a lot more with the fans and has found significantly less praise from the fanbase than Earnhardt ever did.

After Missing Out on Yet Another Championship, is Denny Hamlin Becoming the Next Mark Martin?

Gibbs feels the boos thrown towards Denny Hamlin are a reflection of the fans’ passion

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NASCAR fans are as passionate as they get. The unfiltered nature of the sport hasn’t been limited to the tracks, the rivalries, or the teams; it has also spilled onto the fans. As the NASCAR Hall of Famer continued the interview, he emphasized the translation of an on-track rivalry into off-track developments. A rift between both sets of fans results from what the drivers show in races.

“I think you know, you got the drivers competing with each other. Everybody’s got their favorite,” continued the former NFL coach. “You got the manufacturers competing against each other, and then the race teams are competing against each other. So, I think popular drivers are only going to get a certain number of fans to cheer for them.”

Jeers and disrespect are the ebb and flow of every sport. In some sports like football, the response from fans is taken very seriously and can often reflect in the results of a match. But in NASCAR, a sport more focused on the individual, it only makes sense for them to throw shade at the drivers. According to Gibbs, the criticism is rooted in their love for their favorite drivers.

“There’s going to be some boos in there. That’s kind of the world we live in in NASCAR. I think everybody gets revved up and emotional about it, and I think that’s one of the great things about our sport. You go into different racetracks, and there’s nobody sitting on their hands. They are after it. They’re pulling for their team.”

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Denny Hamlin might have become the public enemy No.1 in NASCAR from Pocono to Bristol to Martinsville. At the same time, it’s also great to see a team owner standing up for his driver.