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USA Today via Reuters
Mar 12, 2022; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) during practice for the Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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USA Today via Reuters
Mar 12, 2022; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) during practice for the Ruoff Mortgage 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
During a NASCAR Cup race, Denny Hamlin encountered some trouble. Sometime during the race, he was unable to drink from his water bottle. Obviously, driving a NASCAR car is a pretty demanding job from a physical standpoint. However, it wasn’t the fact that he ran out of water or it stopped working, but the line was frozen.
“No Denny, No. You will not have the drink.” https://t.co/E0fAso3gBS
— Johnny Spilotro (@JohnnySpilotro) May 11, 2022
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Denny you wil not have the drink.
— Eric Burns (@Eric_Burns92) May 12, 2022
— Eric Burns (@Eric_Burns92) May 12, 2022
Apparently, this was a recurring issue for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. So, he was understandably quite annoyed at the inconvenience. However, one man’s misery was a number of fans’ fodder for poking fun. In fact, the #11 driver earned several comparisons to retired F1 driver and former champion, Kimi Raikkonen.
Why did Denny Hamlin earn comparisons to the 2007 F1 champion?
The Finnish driver is well known for his radio rants about not getting much water. It is also worth mentioning that when Raikkonen raced in NASCAR, he also faced issues with his drinks bottle. In his case, he simply ran out of water because the bottle is a lot smaller than he is used to. This happened during a Nationwide Series race when he drove the #87 car for NEMCO Motorsports.
READ MORE: Throwback: When F1 Champion Kimi Raikkonen Impressed Kyle Busch in his Truck Series Debut
Denny is the new Kimi
— Eric Burns (@Eric_Burns92) May 12, 2022
— Zeh Antonio Alves (@josefsieben) May 12, 2022
Is the drink on or not
— Mercedes Shamilton (@MercedesAmgSham) May 11, 2022
Coming back to Denny Hamlin, the JGR driver will be hoping that his team gets to the bottom of the issue. According to some fans, this is the second time in a row that he faced this problem. Truthfully speaking, he is the only driver facing such a problem so far. So no one knows if he is doing something wrong or if there is a genuine problem.
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USA Today via Reuters
Apr 3, 2022; Richmond, Virginia, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) races NASCAR Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski (6) during the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
No Denny, you will not have the drink
— Peter Taylor (@pntaylor) May 11, 2022
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Kimi is that you?
— Gewoondaan (@DaanGroen6) May 11, 2022
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Hopefully for his sake, the outfit is able to fix the drinks issue. Other drivers can sympathise, as it is difficult to go without water for a long time. Especially in a race which is hundreds of laps long, which will be extremely tiring for drivers. In the worst case scenario, there could be a very strong possibility that he could be dehydrated and possibly faint.