Coming back from the first race of the playoffs at Darlington, the NASCAR community is back behind the cameras and mics again. As analyses and opinions of the weekend pour in, former racer Kenny Wallace took it to his YouTube channel to discuss the Denny Hamlin drama that was unveiled at ‘The Lady in Black’.

Last weekend, the 42-year-old participated in both the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series. While the latter ended up in heartbreak with him missing out on a potential win, he ended up victorious in the Xfinity race. One might have expected that this would be a joyous occasion for racing fans. But the recent general consensus on Denny remained, and the drama that followed hasn’t been a sweet one.

Kenny Wallace’s take on the enmity shown by fans towards Denny Hamlin

Speaking about Denny’s dominant start in the Cup Series race at the raceway, Kenny Wallace expressed his support for the driver. Denny had led and won the first two stages of the race and had gone on to miss out on a crucial opportunity because of an unconfirmed loose nut in his wheel. An untimely pit stop sunk his position and caused him to finish at P25. But the bitter moments that involved the fans were on Saturday after his Xfinity win.

As Denny Hamlin emerged victorious, fans were found booing and expressing their hostility towards him. The reason behind this reaction stems from incidents from the past. Nevertheless, the driver has responded positively to their actions. Hitting back at his haters as he usually does, the JGR driver posted pictures of hostile fans on social media and mocked their anger towards him. While many drivers would refrain from such actions, Denny did not. And Kenny, for one, was supportive of it.

Talking on his channel, he said, “I don’t really think Denny cares what you all think of him. You know you can scroll. I think everybody’s getting really good at using social media now when people talk crap on social media it’s just kind of like *imitates crying*, it’s old news.”

Continuing further on how social media doesn’t hold power over the emotions of an individual as it used to before, he said, “Back in the early days of social media you could really get underneath people’s skin. Now nobody cares because it’s like everybody does it. So I think that’s why Denny Hamlin was able to concentrate.”

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Denny Hamlin’s disregard for the voices of his haters

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One of the crucial moments that led to the lack of support that the driver has from fans was his controversial win at the Pocono Raceway earlier this year. As he raced towards the finish line, he shoved Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson into the wall and took the lead to score his win. Despite claiming that the move wasn’t intentional, fans reacted harshly and booed him at subsequent races. The carefree attitude of the driver, when it came to expressing his opinions, did not fare well among the crowds either. But Denny wasn’t one to let these incidents take his spirits down.

In reactions that could very well mean adding fuel to the fire, he continues to earn the wrath of fans. Denny’s post on his “X” handle mocking fans is one such example. In another answer to NASCAR spokesperson Alex Weaver, he responded to getting booed and said, “Haters are just admirers that have lost their way”.

In his 17 years at the top tier of NASCAR, Denny would’ve encountered many such situations. But with days passing and the stakes growing, the driver will look to secure his first Cup Series championship before it is too late. While having the support of spectators behind him will only increase the odds of that happening, it remains to be seen whether there will be common ground between fans and the racer.

Read More: Denny Hamlin Gets Philosophical With a 9-Worded Witty Comment About His Haters

Going into the Kansas Speedway next weekend, it will be a game of concentration and will for the driver as he battles a group of fans alongside the contenders on the track. As Kenny Wallace put it, “Like Kyle Larson said, ‘Never hit the wall’. He listens to you fans bad-mouthing, it doesn’t matter.”