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Denny Hamlin Doesn't Hold Back On Being NASCAR Villain

Originally posted on The Spun | By Daniel Bates | Last updated Jun 8, 2025 8:53 PM ET

In the sport of NASCAR there are nice guys and there are villains — and Denny Hamlin has never been one to shy away from playing the role of antagonist on the track.

After collecting yet another 2025 Cup Series win at Sunday's FireKeepers Casino 400 in Michigan, the JGR driver went back into the vault and broke out his infamous "I just beat your favorite driver" catchphrase on Amazon Prime.

Carrying that energy into his postrace interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others, Denny explained why he does what he does.

"I love having fun with the crowd and I just don't want them to ever clap when they say my name," Hamlin said. "It's like, 'Alright, next guy.' I want to make them feel a certain way. It could be positive, it could be negative, but I like to have those feels."

"I want to make them feel a certain way."@dennyhamlin loves having fun with the crowd. #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/tas76E5AQg
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 8, 2025

That was certainly the case when the 23XI co-owner started the Buckeyes' "O-H-I-O" chant to get the Brooklyn, MI faithful even more worked up in victory lane.

This weekend's result meant Denny "beat your favorite driver" for a third time this season in his 701st career start.

With the W, Hamlin becomes just the 10th driver in Cup Series history to win a race after hitting the 700 milestone. And The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi believes he has a real chance at taking the crown this year.

"They've had speed, week-in and week-out. They really haven't had a bad race, they just haven't had the finish to correspond with that," Bianchi said. "... If you're going to make a list of drivers who you feel like are championship contenders, Denny is certainly on that list. ... I would propel him there."

Hamlin will look to keep this momentum going into next week's NASCAR Cup south of the border at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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