Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson solidified their friendship by playing golf together every month with 20 other buddies. But things have changed over the years for sure. In fact, it was only recently that Larson was asking Hamlin for a little more respect on track. 

And Hamlin too wasn’t silent about their current status! He told Kenny Wallace recently, “Friendship was always better before.” And he went on to share more about his camaraderie with Larson.

Denny Hamlin admits it’s hard to be friends when competing

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson did have those golf trips, but they always raced each other hard. In fact, in last year’s race at Pocono, they had a dramatic door-slamming incident. They have had many such run-ins and hard battles racing. Recently, when Kenny Wallace asked Hamlin about his relationship with Larson, he was candid about it. And Hamlin, being himself, never minces his words. He said to Kenny Wallace, “We’ve been friends off the racetrack for a very long time. I think that our friendship was always better before we started competing for race wins against each other.”

According to the No. 11 driver racing and maintaining a friendship with your competitor is “difficult.” He feels like one has to be able to distinguish between the two things and needs to keep pushing. For Hamlin, that’s the essence of the competition. He said, “Like if we start, you know, cutting each other break, the fans don’t get the reward of that exciting finish that they deserve. So they should want us to have that rivalry on the racetrack. And then what we do off the racetrack is frankly none of their business.”

Further, he drew ties with Dale Earnhardt Sr. and how the seven-time champion had the fiercest battles on track with his “toughest rivals” but still he always managed to spend a great time fishing with them. He said, “Dale Earnhardt, I feel like, was that way with some of some of his toughest rivals. Yet he would go fishing or whatever with some of his toughest rivals. But he knew how to separate that on the racetrack.” Whether it is a call to Larson to make up off-track or whether it’s a stern heads up that he, like Dale Earnhardt Sr, will race hard, no matter what- one can make two sides of this conversation.

In Pocono, although a tough battle didn’t ensue between the two, and while Larson struggled with a speeding penalty and finished 13th, Hamlin came close to winning it and was runner-up. But for sure they will get many more chances! 

Dale Earnhardt Sr. and a heartwarming fishing story 

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Dale Earnhardt Sr, a seven-time Cup champion, was a force to be reckoned with on track. He was fierce, and he raced each other hard. But he is one of those drivers who had a distinct personality from his “race personality.” When he was not breaking a leg in NASCAR, he was busy fishing! It was one of his favorite things to do and he loved spending time in the lap of nature. And as they say, like attracts like and so it was only some time before Dale Earnhardt Sr bonded with Hank Parker, one of the best fishermen the country ever has seen. They both did ten shows together and have had plenty of experience.

Hank Parker was at the Dale Earnhardt Jr show and he talked about how Dale Earnhardt Sr. was blunt and candid about things. And how when he was mad, it reflected in his actions and his words. According to him, if you’d ask anyone about a bad race, they would go on about explaining in detail, but the intimidator, true to his name, would say—he blew up. In Hank Parker’s words, “You stick that microphone in Dale’s face, and he’d say, blowed up.”

He then narrated a funny incident of how Earnhardt Sr.’s children are similar to him!

Hank Parker said that he was out at the farm, and Taylor, Dale Earnhardt Sr’s daughter, and his daughter Lucy were fishing and they were watching. And Taylor caught a catfish, and it was more than the Mickey Mouse rod she had could bear. And it toppled on the pond! He narrated what happened next, and it is one of the funniest incidents. He said, “And there were little ears laying all over the pond dam, and Earnhardt looks over at her and says, Taylor, what happened? She pokes that little lip out, and she looked at him with them little beady eyes and said, it blowed up.” Well, sure the apple sure doesn’t fall far from the tree!

As far as Junior is concerned, he is keeping his father’s legacy alive and even went fishing with his daughter. And he said it was a lovely time, and he always wanted to have that experience with his daughter. His daughter couldn’t believe there was a real fish on the end of the line!