“Daddy, I’m Sorry!” Denny Hamlin Brings Back Brutal Comments to Tease Fans at Michigan

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin brought back the iconic and controversial “I beat your favorite driver” comment at Michigan.

“Daddy, I’m Sorry!” Denny Hamlin Brings Back Brutal Comments to Tease Fans at Michigan

Denny Hamlin wins at Michigan (Via @JoeGibbsRacing/X)

The 2025 NASCAR Cup season so far has been impressive for Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin, who recently made his 700th career Cup starts. He secured his third win of the season on the 15th races of the year at Michigan International Speedway, ending his streak of near misses in the last few weekends.

There is a big group among the NASCAR fans that loves these near miss events for Denny Hamlin, as they perceive him as the villain of the sport. He has embraced that tag since the start of the Next-Gen era and has made some smug remarks that helped him get under the skin of his rivals, one of those was ‘I beat your favorite driver’ one-liner that he debuted in 2024.

He used this line multiple times to rile up the fans last year, but decided to end the streak after his father got involved. Dennis Hamlin, the 23XI Racing co-owners’ father, told his son that his one-liner is too smug and shouldn’t be used again. But he decided to bring it back at Michigan, only after apologizing to his father, before saying it to the booing and cheering crowd on his immediate post-race interview.

Daddy, I’m sorry, but I beat your favorite driver, folks… all of them.

Denny Hamlin said in post-race interview.

Denny Hamlin had a solid car at Charlotte and Nashville, but not having enough fuel at the end of pit-stop issue cost him in those weekends, which has been a factor that has always haunted the veteran since his early days. The victory at Michigan came after he was able to race enough patience to extend the law fuel run on the last laps.

He faced huge challenge from the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Kyle Larson and William Byron, but was able to produce a strong run, and winning the race after being fast throughout the entire year, with the support from his crew chief Chris Gayle. The win is also special considering the fact that he has had multiple near-win runs at the MIS.

It’s fantastic. Chris Gayle, this whole team has just done a great job. We’ve been so fast throughout the entire year, just haven’t finished it for one reason or another. Feels good to come here at Michigan where we’ve been so close over the years.

Denny Hamlin said.

Denny Hamlin took another cheeky dig at the fans

The veteran didn’t receive the amount boos he usually gets when he made the smug comments, as whenever the No:11 Toyota driver wins, he gets a negative reaction. This response shows some fans have accepted the villain Hamlin and respect his racing skills more always. But he made another move at MIS, that received more boos.  

Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)

Denny Hamlin joined the Ohio State College Football Playoff National Championship bandwagon last year and since been one of their biggest cheer leaders. The Michigan crowd though were pro Wolverines, and Hamlin used this fact to make them by starting a “O-H-I-O” chant. This resulted almost everyone in the crowd turning on him and booing him.

Denny Hamlin in enjoying the victory, becoming one of only 10 drivers ever to win a Cup after their 700th career start, and the smug comments is just him making the moment more memorable. It would be interesting to see how the racing community and rival drivers are going to respond to the veterans’ actions.

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