Hours After Denny Hamlin Compared Himself to Max Verstappen, Dale Earnhardt Jr Defends NASCAR Fans’ Unsurprising Reaction to JGR Driver’s Win

Whistles and jeers have been a part of sports since forever. Fans have never hesitated to voice their displeasure over any athlete from the galleries. The Kansas Speedway and Denny Hamlin were a witness of the thing itself.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver pushed himself to the win in a breath-taking battle with Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson. But not everyone seems to be happy with Hamlin’s win. While the track echoed with boos after the victor, it brought in a mixed crop of reviews from former drivers.

Two-time Xfinity Series champion and a legend of the sport, Dale Earnhardt Jr talks about the reactions from the crowd at Kansas and how the same scenarios can look different from different viewpoints.

Dale Earnhardt Jr Talks About the Response from the Crowd

Speaking to co-host Mike Davis on the set of the popular podcast The Dale Jr Download, junior discussed a myriad of things. As the podcast went on, the duo gravitate to the topic of Denny Hamlin. Davis asks if the reaction from the crowd, as it was, was justified.

To his the NASCAR legend replies, “It’s a bit surprising. No, I don’t think so, but they were there. Being there and witnessing it live is totally different to watching it on the TV. And so maybe I wouldn’t have thought much of it if I was there.”

Further adding a hypothetical scenario of the 1980s, Dale Jr says, “Sitting home on TV, I don’t think the whole grandstand should be turning on the sky. If that was going on in the 80s, the place would be you know rocking.”

Rightfully, Dale Earnhardt Jr highlights the importance of a change in fan’s perspective. Watching a race live at the stands and watching it on TV are definitely two very different experiences.

Read More: Billionaire Michael Jordan’s Fond Childhood Memories Made Him Splurge Millions on Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR Dream: “That’s How It Started”

Meanwhile, in another attempt to learn about the effect of the crowd at Kansas, Denny Hamlin, in his podcast, talked about it in a positive manner. To find the better news from the boos, Hamlin affirms that this at least creates some response from the crowd.

Amidst Whistles and Boos, Denny Hamlin Talks About Feeling Like Max Verstappen

In another episode of Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin, he speaks about differences in opinions in the fanbase and how it has been normalized.

He said, “I heard the crowd, well first I heard the crowd booing, which you know the are making noise. I don’t mind that, I just said they asked me in the media center, well what do you take from that?”

Hamlin added, “I take from that that Kyle Larson’s more popular than I am and they wanted to see him win over me. So, I don’t mind it at all. I think that as long as they’re making noise of some sort, I don’t mind any reaction.”

On being asked if he had to choose between a silent crowd and having to tolerate some ‘boos’, he replies with a witty answer using the reigning F1 Champion, Max Verstappen, as an example.

“I think you just want any noise, any noise is good because that means you have a effect on someone. And so, I consider an endearment, I heard that Max Verstappen got a lot of boos at Miami F1. That guy’s pretty good so …(laughs)”

Watch This Story: Denny Hamlin’s “Detriment” Repeated as Kyle Busch Criticizes Handling of “Pain in the D**k” Driver Controversy as He Walks Free

It is definitely good to see that Hamlin has handled the issue like the veteran that he is. Finding the positive points from the response is definitely a trait of someone who took the victory at Kansas.