The pup dates are getting out of hand in the NASCAR world! Following the Chicago Street Race and the unsatisfactory performance by Joe Gibbs Racing, Denny Hamlin discusses his recent performances, criticizing himself for the lack of wins and top finishes. Taking a humorous approach to his recent struggles, he jokingly blames his lack of wins on his new puppy!

In the meantime, Alex Bowman, who recently won the Chicago race, adopted a new furry friend just days before the event. This lucky timing has sparked some playful banter among the podcast hosts, who took to the ‘Actions Detrimental’ to banter over whether it was just a coincidence or whether these adorable pups have magical paws that can turn someone’s racing luck around.

How could the puppy be a reason for Denny Hamlin’s performance?

Denny Hamlin is blaming his recent lack of success in NASCAR on, Lulu, his new puppy! With Hamlin ending his race behind in the grid for the past few weeks, his co-host Jared Allen took a jab at Lulu, comparing the scenario with Alex Bowman’s new pup, Hucker, who has brought him good luck, winning the race just days after Bowman adopted him.

Right after hearing this, without even letting Allen complete, Hamlin admitted that ever since he got Lulu about a month ago, his performance has taken a turn for the worse, going on a five-race winless streak after a strong start to the season. On his podcast, aired on July 9th, Denny Hamlin commented, “Lulu is bad luck, you can’t argue with the records. We’re on a five-race skip, after five top-fives in a row? I mean we were on a slide, we got to give that damn dog away.”

While discussing the No. 11 Toyota driver’s performance on the slick roads of the Chicago Street Race, he made fun of the fact that not only did he not win, but Hamlin also came in 30th position in the race. To this end, Allen saw an opportunity and jokingly said that Alex Bowman achieved something Allen himself couldn’t—winning a race—and that calls for celebrating Bowman’s new dog.

Remember when Hamlin said keeping a dog was a “short-term happiness” and “a long-term pain in the a**.” It looks like he was true!

That’s a difficult spot for Hamlin and his daughters, as he sounded convinced that Lulu River Hamlin [as he confirmed her name earlier this month] is bringing him bad luck, while Bowman’s Hucker is the real MVP! So what does this mean for Hamlin’s furry friend? Will she be sent away now that her owner has expressed his disapproval?

Hamlin and his dogs

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Ah, it’s highly unlikely that old Denny Hamlin is going to be kicking sweet Lulu to the curb anytime soon! That pup’s got him wrapped around her little paw, no doubt about it. Hamlin may have joked about giving her away on his podcast, but c’mon, everybody knows that was just a bunch of hot air. The JGR driver is a certified dog lover through and through; let’s not forget how he gushed over his other pup, Milo, when he brought him home back in 2022.

Denny Hamlin’s love for dogs goes way back. You might remember his appearances with Missy in 2017. Sadly, Missy passed away in November 2018. If you recall, he even posted about it on his official Facebook. But Missy wasn’t the only dog in his life back then—they also had Andy.

And let’s not forget, even before that, in 2012, Denny was spotted petting a sled dog named D2 from Iditarod and Yukon Quest champion Dallas Seavey at the FedEx Express Hub in Anchorage, Alaska. Clearly, Hamlin’s love for animals is nothing new. But this time, he’s linking it with bad luck.

Additionally, this time, Hamlin didn’t even have a choice in bringing Lulu into the family in the first place; it was his fiancee and daughters who had the final say on that one. If it were up to Hamlin, that pup probably wouldn’t have even made it past the front door. But once those big ol’ puppy dog eyes got involved, there was no way he was saying goodbye to Lulu.

Sure, caring for a new furry friend can be a real headache, what with all the chewed-up shoes and surprise puddles. But you can bet your bottom dollar. Hamlin loves the pup to bits, no matter how much he gripes about her “bad luck” on the track. Lulu‘s part of the family now, and there’s no way Hamlin’s kicking her to the curb anytime soon! He’ll just find another way to make it to the front of the race next time; he’s very capable of it, and everybody knows that!