A name that cannot be missed out on a table discussing the greatest drivers in stock car racing’s modern era is Denny Hamlin. Driving the #11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing now, the 42-year-old has won a total of 50 NASCAR Cup Series races over his famed career. And that includes multiple pole finishes in the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600 races. Denny also operates and co-owns 23XI Racing along with basketball legend Michael Jordan. While all these accomplishments lend a shoulder in portraying his on-track brilliance, one off-track area that the Florida native might be well versed in is parenthood.
Speaking to Jeff Gluck on The Athletic’s “The 12 Questions” podcast, the father of two was asked an appealing question by a reader that he answered with maturity.
The word that hit Denny Hamlin’s soul
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Mid-way through the podcast, Gluck revealed that he had been asking readers to submit “Dear Abby-” style questions and was picking one amongst them every week to ask drivers.
The one question that he had picked out for Denny Hamlin came from a reader who asked, “My toddler has started saying swear words or copying what he hears his parents say when we’re getting on his older sibling’s case. What is the best way to get him to stop swearing?”
Denny has two beautiful daughters, Taylor and Molly, with Jordan Fish. Answering the reader’s curious question, Denny revealed that his daughter Molly’s first swear word was directed at him and that it hit him hard.
Thinking back on the incident, he said, “She says, ‘Daddy, stop saying f***’. And to hear a 5-year-old say that, it really got me right here in my soul. But she said it so purely, like it was so clear.”
“And I was just thinking, ‘No, Molly. No, no, no’.
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Denny Hamlin’s approach to “Get them to stop”
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Not understanding from where Molly picked up the cuss word, he spoke about how it could’ve been from the music that he listens to in his car. He said that the music is sometimes dirty and sometimes clean, but his daughters know when the dirty words are coming up and cover their ears in advance so they don’t hear them. “Even if they do,” he said, “They know at this point not to say it.”
Coming back to answer the reader’s questions and providing some much-needed hack for all the parents out there, he said they’ve got to somehow explain that these were adult words used to express or explain emotions and there were responsibilities that go with saying them. Comparing swear words to alcoholic beverages, he completed his answer with, “So you have to somehow explain that: It’s like an adult beverage and one day you will be allowed to say it, but now is not the time. It’s just inappropriate right now at your age.”
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Denny Hamlin’s words are sure to resonate among parents who listen to “The 12 Questions” podcast. For the rest of NASCAR fans who aren’t looking for parental advice, the Daytona winner will be burning tires to the brim in this season’s Cup Series playoffs. Currently in 2nd spot in the 2023 NASCAR standings with 770 points, Denny can next be spotted in his #11 Toyota Camry at the Watkins Glen International racetrack over the coming weekend.
Read More: 2 Years After Public Fallout, Denny Hamlin Spotted Alongside Estranged Partner Jordan Fish