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Kyle Petty Goes After Denny Hamlin’s Villainous Persona as He Attacks Infamous Tagline
Kyle Petty Goes After Denny Hamlin’s Villainous Persona as He Attacks Infamous Tagline
Denny Hamlin has started 2024 with a bang. The No. 11 Toyota driver delivered the goods on Saturday after coming back from P6 to claim a win at the Coliseum. This was Hamlin’s fourth Clash win, and he followed it with a repetition of his iconic statement of intent. In a post-race interview, Hamlin said, “You know I beat your favorite driver again right?” However, former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty wasn’t impressed.
Surprisingly, the reaction from the Los Angeles crowd was different from how Bristol treated him in last year’s playoffs. The audience cheered for Hamlin after an intense win. However, Denny Hamlin’s statement going without scrutiny is a rare instance. Reviewing the 2024 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, Petty shared his thoughts on Hamlin’s iconic statement.
Kyle Petty tells Dany Hamlin to get another tagline
Denny Hamlin might not have a championship in his repertoire, but 51 wins in the Cup Series is no joke. As Hamlin might say, he has beaten the fans’ favorite drivers 51 times. Having watched Hamlin evolve as a driver in NASCAR, Kyle Petty knows the JGR driver’s inclination to create controversy. But he thought Hamlin repeating his tagline after the Clash win wasn’t worth it.
Petty hinted that overusing the tagline might make it stale, Petty said in his NASCAR review of the 2024 Clash, “I beat your favorite driver. That’s the way he closed off the season last year. That’s the way he starts the season this year. But, you know what? Get another tagline, dude. It worked the first time. I’m not so sure about the second time.”
“We’re going to get tired of hearing it, and I know everybody’s favorite driver is going to get tired of you beating them.”
Later, on his podcast, Actions Detrimental, Hamlin revealed that his ‘cocky’ gesture had upset his father slightly. This has led to him officially retiring the tagline.
Hamlin said, “I’m going to retire the, ‘I beat all your favorite drivers,’ because I got a text, and those of you saw the Netflix special, with my dad. He sent me a text and he said, ‘Son, you’ve got to stop that. I don’t like it. It’s just too cocky.’ I’m going to listen to dad on this one. So we’re going to retire it.”
Kyle Petty Goes After Denny Hamlin’s Villainous Persona as He Attacks Infamous Tagline
Hamlin is known to get on the nerves of the crowd and his antics during races haven’t helped his image. This has led to him being labeled as NASCAR’s villain, something he has embraced. Last year, during a conversation on Rubbin is Racing’podcast, Hamlin addressed the past instances of booing in his career. When asked by Large if he has started to embrace “this villain thing,” he said, “I think there was a time to uh reel that back in but I just think that there’s no going back at this point.” But the Coliseum audience welcomed Hamlin’s recent win.
The 43-year-old rarely gets to witness the fandom applauding him for his prowess on the track. He featured in the latest Netflix docu-series and NASCAR that may have gained him some goodwill.
NASCAR: Full Speed has boosted Hamlin’s popularity
One of the hot topics of discussion in the NASCAR community is the sport’s latest docu-series, ‘NASCAR: Full Speed’. The documentary took viewers into the lives of 9 Cup Series drivers, which hadn’t been explored before. Among the nine drivers to make the cast, Denny Hamlin had the longest screen time. Netflix’s decision to focus on Hamlin came in the wake of his performances in the early playoff rounds, making him a title contender.
READ: Dale Earnhardt Jr. dating history before Amy now haunt him
On the other hand, his story of chasing the championship year after year gave Netflix a big theme to cover. Addressing a recent surge in his following, Denny said, “What I’ve seen is just a big jump of following over the last five days.”
Revealing where these followers have mainly emerged from, Denny Hamlin disclosed, “When you look at the area where they’re from, their gender, all that stuff, it’s a different crowd. I think that certainly, it’s getting out to people that probably have not seen NASCAR before from what I can see.”
Aside from Hamlin, NASCAR: Full Speed has generally boosted the sport’s popularity. Fan favorites have seen their legends grow, while some factions have changed their views on several controversial drivers. Hamlin is one among them. While portraying his persona entirely is a huge ask, he felt that Netflix had done a commendable job.
“I think there’s a lot to tell, but certainly I thought it was a very good snapshot of NASCAR, and it kind of told a story of we race for this long, then we have a playoff, and here’s how the playoffs work. That helps with the new NASCAR fans,” added Denny Hamlin.
The Busch Light Clash victory gives Denny a huge momentum booster before the 2024 season begins. As another championship chase dawns upon the community with next week’s Daytona 500, the question remains- is this the year of Denny Hamlin?
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Ferrari warned Lewis Hamilton will cause internal drama
A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Listen to Chase Elliott, No. 9 team react to pace car crash at Phoenix in 2024
Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Exposes NASCAR’s Hidden Truth: The Pressure Turns Champions Miserable
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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