Denny Hamlin apologizes to dad, breaks out iconic catchphrase after Michigan win

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

Hamlin said it. A good chunk of the crowd booed in response. Some, however, cheered. Is Hamlin the heel slowly turning into a fan favorite? At the very least, there’s a split. It might not be 50/50, but it’s there.

Denny Hamlin makes history with victory at Michigan

Hamlin has “beat your favorite driver” now three times through 15 races this season. This was a special one for Hamlin. He’s just the 10th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win a race after making his 700th start. With career win No. 57, Hamlin passed Kyle Busch for the most checkered flags in Joe Gibbs Racing history.

Hamlin’s fiancée Jordan Fish is also due to give birth to the couple’s third child and first son. Hamlin and Fish were anticipating their son’s arrival last week while Hamlin was racing at Nashville Superspeedway. Ryan Truex was the backup driver at Michigan in the event Hamlin got the call and needed to leave.

That call never came. Hamlin won the race, saving enough fuel as William Byron lost the lead to him with four to go and then ran out of fuel entirely.

“It’s fantastic,” Hamlin said. “[Crew chief] Chris Gayle, this whole team have just done a great job and we’ve been so fast throughout the entire year, just haven’t finished it for one reason or another. It feels good to come here to Michigan where we’ve been so close over the years and get a victory for Toyota, Yahoo, Sports Clips, Shady Rays, Jordan Brand, everyone. This is such a gratifying day to restart 11th, 12th, something like that and drive to the front.”