Much to his father’s chagrin, Denny Hamlin does not do subtle, especially when it comes to celebrating and responding to fan jeers on the frontstretch.
For a bit, it was the ‘I just beat your favorite driver; all of them,’ and then when Dennis Hamlin (Sr.) shot that one down, his son brought up ’11 against the world,’ when he won earlier this season at Martinsville.
His dad really doesn’t like how braggadocious Hamlin can come across sometimes. In response, when the younger Hamlin feels the need to jab back, he tells his dad through the TV ‘sorry dad,’ and drops the ‘beat your favorite driver’ schtick again.
Watch: Denny Hamlin: ‘I beat your favorite driver’ in Michigan win
“If I can’t shit talk then it takes away my superpower,” Hamlin said earlier this season.
So here was Hamlin, winning for the fifth time this season and 59th time in his career, and he dropped a new slogan in response to the mixed reaction raining on him from the crowdy at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“Get on the bandwagon, or get run over by it.”
Is that one Dennis Hamlin Sr. approved?
“Probably not,” the younger Hamlin said during his post-race press conference.
Hamlin says he’ll choose to ask his dad for forgiveness this time, but felt compelled, because at this late stage of his career, doesn’t know if this will be the last time he will have to jab back at his detractors.
“You beg for forgiveness on this one just because you never know,” Hamlin said. “You never know when it’s your last. This could be my last win. This could be the last time I’m talking to you with my driver’s suit on after a race. We just never know.
“I try my best to enjoy the moment and do the best I can to rile up the fans any chance I get.”
Hamlin also made clear in this press conference that he expects to retire at the end of his current contract period, which ends after the 2027 season but he also recognizes that his ability to do this at a high level could dry up in his mid-40s.
And at 59 wins, he’s fixated more on just trying to win as many of these remaining races as possible, more so than that elusive championship.
“It’s always been about number of races,” Hamlin said. “The only one I thought about was this year and the Daytona 500, thinking that probably only going to do this twice more. Brickyards, right? I haven’t won the freaking Brickyard. I’m going to have two more shots at it, and that’s it, to round this thing out.
“There’s certain races that I do have countdowns for. Championships isn’t one of ’em. Obviously it’s well-documented that I want to get the wins, and I feel like that will carry its weight long after. When you compare me to someone that’s maybe got one or two, maybe three championships, and half the wins, I don’t think that person’s better than I am.”
Even that line had his characteristic swagger attached to it.
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