WATCH: Fans booed Denny Hamlin during driver’s intro in his home track Richmond
Denny Hamlin was booed by fans on Pocono victory lane as well.
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Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin didn’t have the best reception during his Cup series event at his home track, Richmond. The Virginia native was welcomed with boes by a big group of fans during the driver’s intro. While fans boing the three times Daytona 500 winner is nothing new in the Cup series, many didn’t expect such a reaction from his home crowd.
There are many factors that played a role in fans’ reactions to the No:11 Toyota Camry driver. The first and the most recent one Is, without a doubt, him walling Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson on the last lap of the Pocono Cup race to win the event a week prior. His outspoken nature, historical run-ins with fan-favorite drivers, and his association with Toyota are also factors.
Hamlin had the ultimate opportunity to silence the crowd that booed him. He once again found himself in a one versus one battle with race winner Chris Buescher. But unlike in the case of Larson, the No:17 RFK Racing was too dominant for him to close the gap on. A poor restart also didn’t help the 23XI Racing co-owner.
The boos from fans are nothing new for Hamlin, and he addressed the same issue last week after he was booed while on the victory lane at Pocono. He pointed out that he is too old to care about how the fans react to him and claimed that fandom doesn’t do the job for him. Hamlin added that he had a run-in with popular drivers and has gotten okay with the reactions.
“I mean, I’m just too old to care. Had I gotten another 20 years ahead of me, I get it. Fandom doesn’t give me trophies. Fandom doesn’t do the job for me. In my career, just had some pivotal moments getting into guys when they were super-popular, I just kind of wasn’t. I’m okay with it because the fans are passionate about what they saw,” Hamlin said.
In case you missed it: WATCH: “Emotional damage”- Drivers fight each other after cars jump into the trees amidst battle for the lead during a stock car race in Alabama, fans react
Here is how NASCAR fans online reacted to the reception of Denny Hamlin at Richmond
Fans had a mixed reaction to the incident. Some fans rejoiced to see the crowd’s reaction as they deemed it as Karma for Hamlin, while others were quick to criticize it. There were also fans who were seemed it as a regular reception of Hamlin at every track due to many factors.
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Justin P Joy
(4913 Articles Published)