Recently, there was an online beef between Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin and NASCAR insider Mamba Smith at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. The conflict initially began after the Richmond race, with Smith pointing out that the championship wasn't to “crown the best driver.”NASCAR Cup Series drivers, including Hamlin, had an issue with the phrase. Following that, the Happy Hour podcast's co-host pulled a classic fakeout handshake with Hamlin during the driver's intro at Daytona. This resulted in drama spilling over the internet.Reflecting on the same, Denny Hamlin took to X and replied to Mamba Smith:“[You’re] so cool bro. Don’t let the ratios get to you.”“See you on the stage next week Champ,” Smith stated.“[It’s] 3x Southern 500 champ to you. Make sure you get it right when you say my name,” Hamlin clapped back.“You’ll get what you get, smile, and do your princess wave regardless,” Mamba replied.Exchange between Hamlin and Smith on XDenny Hamlin has won the Cook Out Southern 500 three times (in 2010, 2017, and 2021) in his 21-year Cup Series career. Furthermore, this year's Southern 500 is scheduled for Sunday, August 31, 2025, at Darlington Raceway. MRN, HBO Max, USA, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Ch. 90 will broadcast the 367-lap race live at 6 p.m. ET."Toughest line to walk": Denny Hamlin shared his feelings on the intense battle with Chase Briscoe before his fourth winNASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin secured his fourth win of this season at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20, 2025. But during the closing laps of the race, Hamlin had a face-off with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, to secure the victory.Later, during a post-race interview with Cup Scene on YouTube, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver recalled the intense battle during the final laps of the race. Hamlin told the press (via YouTube):"Yeah, that's the toughest, it's the toughest line to walk truthfully because if it is someone else, you don't mind running them up in the fuzz, right? If it's a teammate, you gotta sit down, you gotta see that guy tomorrow afternoon. So it's just a little different in that aspect.""But you know, when we went back, right before we went back, Chris and I were walking back to our cars, and I said, "Just don't wipe me out." I was just, you know, I was afraid with him on, you know, we got old tires. I don't know what the grip level of the track is. I just didn't want JGR to clean itself out and then, you know, somebody else win it," Hamlin added.Denny Hamlin currently ranks third in the Cup Series points table with 2029 points to his name. He has secured four wins, 13 top-ten finishes, 11 top-five finishes, and one pole position in 25 starts this season. Additionally, Hamlin has a buffer of 23 points above the playoff cutoff line.