Kyle Petty "tired of hearing" Denny Hamlin's smug tagline after 2024 Busch Light Clash victory

NASCAR commentator and former driver Kyle Petty has slammed Denny Hamlin's notorious "I beat your favorite driver" tagline following the 2024 Busch Light Clash.

As NASCAR returned to action at the LA Memorial Coliseum last weekend, Cup Series veteran Denny Hamlin drove home from pole position to secure the fourth Busch Light Clash victory of his career.

However, there was drama following the race, as Hamlin, fresh off his victory, spoke to the media and exclaimed:

"I beat your favorite driver again!"

Hamlin's reaction was met with a chorus of boos from the fans in the arena, a trend that has been in play since last season. While he may not be the most loved NASCAR driver on the circuit, Denny Hamlin certainly embraces playing the bad guy.

However, like most fans, there have been multiple dissenting voices within the NASCAR community who have opposed the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's new demeanor. The latest addition to that list is former Cup Series driver and NBC Sports journalist, Kyle Petty.

The 63-year-old retired driver recently appeared on NASCAR's YouTube channel, dissecting the non-points exhibition race at the Coliseum. Reflecting on race-winner Denny Hamlin and his post-race gestures, Petty said:

"'I beat your favorite driver.' That's the way he closed off the season last year, and that’s the way he starts the season this year. But, you know what? Get another tagline, dude. It worked the first time. I’m not so sure about the second time. We’re going to get tired of hearing it, and I know everybody’s favorite driver is going to get tired of you beating them." (0:10)

Denny Hamlin's father brands his famous catchphrase too "cocky"

Kyle Petty isn't alone in his opposition to Denny Hamlin's celebration as even Hamlin's father, Dennis, called his son's famous catchphrase too "cocky."

On a recent episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast, Denny Hamlin acknowledged the feedback from his father and stated his intention to retire the tagline. He said:

"I’m going to retire the, ‘I beat all your favorite drivers,’ because I got a text, and those of you (that) saw the Netflix special, with my dad.

"He sent me a text and he said, ‘Son, you’ve got to stop that. I don’t like it. It’s nothing but cocky.’ I’m going to listen to dad on this one. So we’re going to retire it.

"We’ll come up with something new next time around. But ‘I beat your favorite driver, all of them,’ is officially going to go down in the history books. It’s done."