NASCAR fandom certainly has seen the controversial and outspoken side of Denny Hamlin with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver taking over as NASCAR’s new villain. But there’s more than what meets the eye. Besides being an audience teaser and ruffling feathers with his iconic one-liners,  Hamlin is also a loving father of two beautiful girls who mean the world to him.

Right after the 43-year-old took the throne in Los Angeles, acing the season-opening 150-lap feature, and lifting his fourth Clash title, the JGR veteran came back home to have some quality time with his family, testing out the new Apple Vision Pro that has hit the market.

In about a couple of hours after the race, the same man that mocked the fandom, with – “You know I beat your favorite driver again, right?” – was having a ball with his daughter, exploring the fantasy world filled with butterflies and dinosaurs, saying, “It’s raining on me, don’t see anything, where’s the butterfly?”

Denny Hamlin hangs out with dinosaurs 

Shortly after his Clash at the Coliseum triumph, Hamlin got back to his daughter’s, meeting up with his friend, Jared Allen, and his fiancée, Jordan Fish where the veteran and his daughter, Taylor went to a virtual fantasy world of dinosaurs and butterflies. His partner, Fish shared the ordeal on her IG stories where the driver and his daughter could be seen trying out the new Apple gadget – Vision Pro.

In fact, the string of stories was a thing of beauty for fans who are accustomed to seeing Hamlin as a villain. The driver was heard saying: “Butterfly, it’s raining on me, don’t see anything. Where’s the butterfly? It is right here. Did you see Tyrannosaurus rex? Do you all hear that?”

Just off of his victory lane visit on Saturday, the driver is definitely making the most out of family time. However, his triumph wasn’t an easy one, with Hamlin battling injuries. Months after his shoulder surgery in November, the #11 JGR Camry driver was skeptical about Saturday’s season opener at L.A. But the veteran 43-year-old grew confident once the event drew closer. In fact, Hamlin snagged the first pole of this season, when he rode his new updated Toyota across the quarter-mile track with the fastest time.

Starting out first, Hamlin held the lead in the initial laps, but once the race progressed, Hamlin lost the lead and quickly fell back to the middle and it looked he would have to settle for a lackluster finish. However, the veteran sensation came right back after with 10 laps remaining to snatch the lead back from his team Ty Gibbs, and kept it for the rest of the race, fending off the attack from the #8 RCR Chevy to win his first-ever Clash at the Coliseum.

With such a stupendous display, that too, in the first race of the year, it is guaranteed that Denny Hamlin and his family are proud. However, the next thing that the Hamlin household is definitely hoping to add to its trophy cabinet is a Cup Series Championship win. And out of the family members, the one who seems all ready to celebrate when that win comes is Denny Hamlin’s father. The old man also has a special token, that was a special victory gift from Michael Jordan. ready.

WATCH THIS STORY: Denny Hamlin triumphs in first Clash at the Coliseum, eliciting cheers from fans 

Hamlin’s father reveals the special gift he’s saved for son’s championship victory

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Ever since its inception in 2020, 23XI Racing has become a solid presence in NASCAR’s elite division. Spearheaded by the NBA legend, Michael Jordan, the Toyota team is co-owned by Denny Hamlin, with the team fielding drivers like Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. With the NASCAR: Full Speed docuseries coming out, the community got to know more about Hamlin, his closed ones and the sport in general.

But one thing the five-episode feature focused on is Hamlin’s persistent chase for his first title. Fans also got many inside stories, including Jordan’s special note to Hamlin’s father. Dennis Hamlin also had an interesting part in one of the episodes where he revealed a special gift Jordan gave him. In an episode, he revealed, “So, he pulls up in his Lamborghini, and he reaches down in his side door, pulls out this cigar.”

“Michael Jordan signed it for me and wrote a little letter (that) says, ‘Break it when we in the championship.’ I’m supposed to break that and smoke that cigar. That’s what I’m going to do,” said the old man with pride in his eyes. However, though, Hamlin is yet to clinch the elusive championship victory and the cigar still remains to be smoked.

READ MORE: Denny Hamlin Claims Clash at the Coliseum Title After Colossal Mid-Race Bounce Back