Denny Hamlin divided opinions last weekend with his seventh victory at Pocono Raceway. While it was a historic win for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, his on-track incident with Hendrick Motorsports drivers still remains a fresh topic of debate. However, Hamlin found solace recently when a NASCAR member sided with him while criticizing a HMS driver.
Regardless of the situation, the #11 driver has always opted to remain his unfiltered and dynamic self. With his Pocono win surrounded by controversy, Hamlin has embraced the positives with open arms.
Denny Hamlin gets support from NASCAR insider amid Pocono Raceway criticism
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Last Sunday, Denny Hamlin registered his second win of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Safe to say, he has had an impressive campaign so far as he now sits in the third position on the table. However, the victory at Pocono Raceway came in controversial circumstances which didn’t quite go in his favor.
Before racing to victory, Hamlin was involved in two separate incidents with Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman. In stage 3 on lap 149 of 160, Bowman spun off the track what may have looked like a contact from the 23XI Racing co-owner, but there was none in reality.
Alex Bowman spins in front of Denny Hamlin! No contact. 👀
Restart inside 10 to go on USA Network. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/fa1VOmQNVF
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
It was frustrating for the Hendrick Motorsports star as he was running third before the crash. Naturally, Bowman was infuriated then and lashed out at Hamlin in the heat of the moment. On his car radio, he was found saying, “Sorry man, I don’t know what his f**king problem is.”
Unsurprisingly, the comments never bothered Hamlin as he ran successfully to his 50th Cup Series win. However, when he attended the Rubbin Is Racing podcast earlier this week, the Bowman incident came up for discussion. It was then NASCAR insider Large Barstool slammed the HMS driver.
Lashing out at Bowman, he said to Hamlin, “I know Bowman had made some comments about you [radio chatter] sort of got swept underneath the rug as they should have because they were nonsensical.”
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While Hamlin had a supporter in Barstool, the incident divided opinion among the fans.
Denny Hamlin divides fans as Alex Bowman crashed at Pocono Raceway
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Safe to say, Denny Hamlin is a popular figure among the NASCAR faithful, especially when it comes to criticism. Despite his win at Pocono Raceway, he was booed at the end because of his alleged role in the incident involving Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson.
CAUTION IS OUT. Retweet to congratulate Denny Hamlin on his NASCAR Cup Series win at Pocono Raceway! pic.twitter.com/gVG1racKDs
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) July 23, 2023
While many deem him to be the new villain in NASCAR, plenty have voiced in his favor too. When it came to the Bowman incident, the opinions were divided on Twitter.
“IDK what y’all are watching. I dislike Hamlin as much as the next person but that was just aero loose. Never touched him”
“No contact. Yeah, but if the roles were reversed or it was Ross you would be up in arms”
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“People will want Denny to control the air now”
“What was it Donnie Allison used to say? Learn how to wreck them without touching them?”
“Hamlin is a wizard.”
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After all is said and done, Hamlin now has two victories to his name as he would be confidently heading to the playoffs after the remaining five races. However, it remains to be seen the treatment he gets from other drivers on track after the Pocono incidents.
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