"I don’t think I’m an a**hole": Denny Hamlin pushes back on NASCAR fans' misconceptions about his personality

NASCAR star driver Denny Hamlin is one driver who is always in the spotlight and the talk of the town, often due to his on-track heroics and also due to his strong opinions on certain topics at times. Hamlin is one driver who is aging like fine wine in the context of his career. He has secured 14 victories after turning 40, and the 44-year-old driver isn't stopping any time soon. He won his most recent race at Dover Motor Speedway last month.

Hamlin is often misjudged and receives a polarizing response from the fans and NASCAR community, sharing a love-hate relationship with them. The driver has, at times, received boos from the crowd after winning races and has sarcastically replied to them.

Denny Hamlin was recently asked in an interview what people get wrong about the driver, and he shared his thoughts on it.

"I mean, I don’t think I’m an a**hole. It’s more than likely people who have never met me, or saw me walking somewhere, and I didn’t have time to stop. I always try to when I can. Or maybe the s—talking I do on the track makes them think that’s just who I am," Hamlin said via The Athletic.

The Joe Gibbs Racing team driver shared more details about his racing approach and mindset in the interview. Hamlin is all set and focused now for the NASCAR playoffs, with just two races left in the regular season. He will be back in action next weekend for the Cook Out 400 race at the Richmond Raceway.

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Denny Hamlin jokes about how to win against Shane Van Gisbergen at Road Courses

Denny Hamlin finished 25th during the Cup Series race at Watkins Glen last weekend, where Shane Van Gisbergen took another Road Course victory this season. This marked his fourth victory of the 2025 season, all of them coming at road courses.

Denny Hamlin recently joked about "a conspiracy" on how to beat Shane Van Gisbergen at a road course while talking on a podcast.

"There’s going to be a race where something happens that’s gonna take him out. Like, he got taken out of Chicago. Remember, in the wet somebody made a mistake. Like, he definitely is able to be vulnerable to someone else making a mistake. He’s not going to make it on his own. It’s going to be into Turn 1. Somebody ping-pongs into someone else, and it knocks him into Shane after he just pitted. Like, that’s what we need. We need a conspiracy," Hamlin said on the Actions Detrimental podcast via The SportsRush.

Hamlin has emerged victorious in four races this year and is currently ranked third in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, scoring 731 points so far. Both Gisbergen and Hamlin now have their eyes on the playoffs, which kick off from the Cook Out Southern 500 race at Darlington later this month.