Denny Hamlin Compares His Prowess to Mike Tyson’s With 3-Word Justification on NASCAR Brawls

Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s post-race ‘All-Star brawl’ is the talk of the town heading to the Coca-Cola 600 next Sunday. And after finishing behind familiar rival Joey Logano for North Wilkesboro’s million-dollar prize, Denny Hamlin brought the topic of the moment to the post-race release of Actions Detrimental.

All the flaring tensions have Hamlin feeling nostalgic, wanting to channel his inner fist-fighter to the fullest. But in an attempt to ward off any potential matchups looking for a beatdown, the driver who beat all our favorite drivers’ likens his technique to that of the ‘baddest man on the planet’—Iron Mike Tyson. While his co-host, Jared Allen, was certainly unconvinced, Denny instead made a convincing case for the reason most NASCAR drivers, including Stenhouse and Busch, have lost their cool in the past.

Denny Hamlin breaks down the perfect post-race brawl technique

First, to gain some context, after carefully reviewing the incident that sparked all the fire in the first few laps, many agree that Busch’s push on Stenhouse was seemingly unnecessary. Hence, the first victim of Rowdy’s aggressive advances on Sunday turned understandably angry when the perpetrator of his problems disregarded his explanations of a disappointing perspective after waiting 198 laps on the racetrack.

What followed next resembled a sanctioned pro fight gone wrong, instead of the expected product of the world’s premier stock car racing experience. However, some will deem it a post-race-brawl done right considering the increased influx of eyes on the viral moment, with the dust now duly settled in North Wilkesboro.

Nevertheless, the physical demands of these different disciplines couldn’t be more contrasting. But with Stenhouse Jr. calling for a “charity match” to settle all differences inside the squared circle, Denny Hamlin & Jared Allen held an interesting conversation surrounding the #11’s prospects between the ropes of a boxing ring. Laying out the deserving context for all the cross-discipline discussions, Allen asked Hamlin about his thoughts on Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s right hook on Busch.

The 43-year-old sports fan declared, “Connected,” stating his deductions on Stenhouse Jr’s punch that kicked off the controversy following Joey Logano’s second-ever All-Star race win. Hamlin then continued to speculate on his own contingency plans for a potential brawl, sneaking up on his season at the most unexpected moment. “I always think about if I’m going to be the first to punch what am I going to do. Just as a heads up I’m probably going to go for the I’m going to do a left gut punch first… Yeah. Because it gets their head down and that’s when you come right underneath,” explained Hamlin. 

His co-host followed the Floridian native’s sentiments to quip in sarcastic humor: “But the thing is I don’t know if you’ll be able to get the second punch in.” Regardless, ageless Hamlin made the most wholesome declaration while attempting his best impression of a young ‘Kid Dynamite’ working the heavy bag, “You see Mike Tyson with the bags? That’s me.” But his three concluding words couldn’t be truer, considering a two-decade run in NASCAR’s premier tier with no signs of slowing down and three victories to show for the same already this season. “I’m a fighter,” announced Denny Hamlin.

But although Jared Allen maintained his disagreement on Hamlins’s ‘tough guy’ act, the #11 evidenced his battles with Joey Logano through the years, especially the one at Martinsville four years ago, where “a hard tap” by the #22 Ford driver on Hamlin had resulted in a brawl similar to that taking place during Logano’s glorious post-race interview on pit lane to FOX.

Why do NASCAR drivers lose their cool?

Adding onto the conversations with an alternative perspective, Denny Hamlin referenced another heated exchange, this time at the Brickyard in 2021 with Chase Briscoe, where the #14 wrecked out Denny on the final lap. Briscoe allegedly did not send the #11 driver off the “deep end” with any snarky explanations, and the situation was de-escalated quickly. 

However, the same cannot be said about Busch and Stenhouse’s recent ‘disagreement’. Consequently, in light of all the developments, Denny concludes by explaining one potential reason for the situation, “Like if I were to say, ‘Hey you wrecked me’ and someone said, ‘Yeah, what are you going to do about it?’ They’re going to get it…”

In the end, NASCAR is indeed a contact sport, played with racing tires, V8 engines & helmets instead of gloves, trunks, or headgear. It may be tough to liken one to the other but with moments like Stenhouse Jr vs. Busch always waiting just around the corner, the separate worlds overlap more often than not. As for Mike Tyson, he prepares for his return to professional boxing in almost three decades against influencer/boxer Jake Paul next month. Regardless, Stenhouse Jr promising revenge against Busch at Charlotte could turn the Coca-Cola 600 into another bare-knuckle showdown, courtesy of NASCAR this Sunday.