The 2024 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum was a deja vu for the NASCAR community. When Denny Hamlin said, “I beat your favorite driver again,” in a repeat of last year’s Bristol playoff race, not many expected the crowd to cheer for the No. 11 driver. Rather, in a surprising turn of events, Hamlin later revealed on his podcast that he would retire the iconic punchline following orders from his dad. However, it looks like, that hasn’t stopped him.

Denny Hamlin’s father asked him to stop being ‘cocky’ while expressing his dislike for the taunt. While Hamlin, an obedient son, heeded the advice and retired it, old habits die hard. Throughout his career, the 43-year-old has honed the art of getting into the crowd and his rivals’ minds. With one of his best-performing events, the Daytona 500, next on the schedule, can Denny devise another iconic victory line? According to him, surely.

Denny Hamlin has found a backdoor in the promise to his father

The Daytona 500 media day went live on Tuesday and the Cup Series stars revealed their preparation as they headed to the most significant race of the year. Denny Hamlin arrived at the Daytona International Speedway with three Daytona 500 wins, the most among current drivers. Statistically, he is the best-posed driver to win the Great American Race.

On being asked if he plans to repeat his memorable punchline in case he wins, Denny Hamlin responded, “No. No matter how loud the crowd is, I promised my dad I would not do it.” 

However, the promise won’t stop him from trying out different methods to tease the fans who have jeered him throughout his 19-year-long career. Revealing his intentions, Hamlin claimed, “He didn’t say I couldn’t come up with something new; he just said you can’t say that. I get it. I understand but it’s the point of our lives where I need to listen to Dad.”

“I told him I would not say those words again. That does not mean I will not come up with something else. He’ll call me again and say ‘Don’t say that,’ and I won’t say that again. I’ll just come up with something else.”

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Coming on the back of a thrilling win at the wreck-infested Coliseum, Denny Hamlin will hope to add another Daytona 500 win to an already impressive career. A win on Sunday would take him one step closer to Richard Petty’s record of seven Daytona 500 wins and a 52nd Cup Series victory for the veteran. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also added that winning on Sunday would require him to be slightly self-centered instead of carving a way for his teammates.

His ‘selfish’ route to the Daytona victory lane

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Following his win at the Coliseum, Denny Hamlin disclosed that he was rooting for teammate Ty Gibbs to win the race. Gibbs was the most dominant driver in the Clash and led the most number of laps as well. Having been behind Gibbs and rival Joey Logano for a fair part of the race, Hamlin didn’t interfere to force his way through to the lead. However, that won’t be the case on Sunday.

“I think it’s in my best interest in getting back to basics, and that’s doing what I feel is best to win the race for myself,” claimed Denny Hamlin. “While having teammates is great, and they are certainly assets to use in certain situations to win races, I think sometimes it’s those who are the most selfish, that make moves for themselves, are those who win the race.”

Using last year’s Daytona 500 winner, Ricky Stenhouse Jr as an example for his claim, the father of two continued, “Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) had no teammates last year. He won the race. We’ve certainly had our fair share of moments when we’ve had to pick between a move with a teammate made versus a move someone else made, and I deemed the other person made the right move…”

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Despite his urge to win a fourth Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin doesn’t want to disrupt the dynamics at JGR. Highlighting the need for allies in a sport where P1 is paramount, he added, “Still, you want to help your teammates as much as you can, as you’ll need those allies throughout the race and certainly during it. But I feel I need to personally go back to the style I had a few years ago, and we’ll see what the results say.”

With Ty Gibbs displaying incredible pace early in the season, Denny Hamlin’s teammates will be among his toughest competitors for the win. While he has the form and history to back him, the Daytona International Speedway has always been an unpredictable race track.