Despite never winning a Cup Series Championship, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin is one of the most celebrated drivers. Known for his resilience on the track, the 44-year-old has claimed multiple wins in marquee events like the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600.  Beyond the racing circuits, Hamlin recently turned heads for an entirely different reason. Denny Hamlin cheered passionately for the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium during their high-stakes semifinal against the Texas Longhorns.

Now, Hamlin revealed a candid reason for why and how he became an Ohio State fan.

Denny Hamlin’s friendly connection with Ohio State

The ongoing playoffs of NCCA College Football have produced some impressive games. In the recent semifinal match between Ohio State Buckeyes and Texas Longhorns, NASCAR star Denny Hamlin was caught on camera. Fans spotted him cheering and celebrating Ohio State’s success. However, Hamlin’s allegiance to Ohio State puzzled fans, given that he has no apparent ties to the university.

When a fan on social media asked how he became a Buckeyes supporter, Hamlin’s candid response shed light on a story that has rarely been shared. “I never went to college, so no allegiance to any other schools. I’ve got 2 friends who are absolute lunatic fanatics of OSU. Went to a game to watch them be fans, and I was wildly entertained. Friends ride with OSU, so I ride with them,” Hamlin responded on Twitter.

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For Hamlin, what started as an entertaining experience with close friends transformed into a genuine passion for the Buckeyes. The team also didn’t disappoint Hamlin as the Buckeyes thrashed Texas by 28-14 in the Cotton Bowl. Buckeyes will now aim for their first national championship since 2014 in the finals against Notre Dame. Notably, The Irish won their last title in 1988.

Before Hamlin’s candid explanation of his Buckeyes fandom, fans had mixed reactions to see him support the team. What made it especially odd was to see Hamlin, a Virginia native, supporting the Ohio State team. Thankfully, for Hamlin, he isn’t a lone supporter of the team on the NASCAR grid. Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney is a massive Buckeyes fan since he’s originally from Ohio and regularly goes back to see his family. Perhaps Blaney and Hamlin can share in the hate fans give Buckeyes since the Penske driver has dealt with it before. He once explained, “It’s always fun to kind of talk about that stuff because everyone is a little different, each sport is a little bit different on that side of it, but at the end of the day, it’s all pretty similar when you kind of get down to it. So it is fun for me to go, I love going to other sporting events. Yes, I am a Buckeye fan, I usually get grief for that for some reason, I don’t know why.” 

While Ohio State is making waves in NCCA, Denny Hamlin is also looking to clinch his maiden NASCAR Cup Series title. In his two-decade-long career, Hamlin has won more than 50 Cup series races in 686 race starts. He won three races in the 2024 season with 12 top 5 and 18 top 10 finishes. However, he was eliminated in playoffs and finished in the 8th position in the finals, breaking a five-year-long streak of Top 5 finishes.

Notably, for the 2025 season, he will pilot the No.11 Toyota Camry under the guidance of new crew chief Chris Gayle. The duo is set to debut at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2, marking the return of the Cup Series to the historic track after more than five decades. While the duo will aim for the title, Hamlin has received support from Kyle Larson in questioning the playoff of the system.

Kyle Larson echoes Hamlin’s sentiments

Despite winning multiple races and finishing in the top 10 Denny Hamlin has struggled to win the NASCAR championship. He often questioned the fairness of the playoff format. Now, the JGR driver has found support from 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson. Notably, Larson won six races in 2024. However, he was eliminated in the Round of 8 and was left heartbroken.

Recently, Larson questioned the format and told Hendrick Motorsports media, “I think the [playoff] format, in a way, devalues a championship. Especially in the Next-Gen era.” His frustration mirrors Hamlin’s earlier remarks, where he admitted he would value 60 wins without a championship over a single title. After the race in Dover, he said, “I absolutely would take 60-some wins and no championship over 20 and one. It’s just not even close.”

While these comments fuel the ongoing debate around the playoff system, some drivers are shining in the current system. Drivers like Ryan Blaney have been dominant in the last couple of years. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion came close to his second consecutive title in 2024 but lost by a few microseconds. This raises questions about the ability of drivers complaining about the system to handle the pressure of elimination. Do you think NASCAR needs to tweak their playoff format?