“We forget that we're entertainers”: Ty Dillon reflects on his viral Atlanta comment on Denny Hamlin after JGR star’s lighthearted response

Ty Dillon trolled Denny Hamlin following his Round 1, In-Season Challenge victory over the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. As reported by Dustin Long of NBC Sports, Dillon said that he beat everyone’s favorite driver, something that Hamlin usually says after winning races.

The JGR Driver also responded to Dillion's playful jab and spoke about it on his podcast 'Actions Detrimental'. After which, during a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Dillon addressed his own comment while explaining that it was meant to express his personality more than anything else.

“I have appreciated his Denny vs. the World he’s been on here the last year and a half,” Dillon said. “Denny gets it as far as he’s been around long enough. A lot of drivers at times get so focused on themselves and their result and honed into such a small portion of what makes this whole sport go around.”

Ty Dillon loves how Denny Hamlin leans into his “villain role”, leading the fans to get further involved in the sport. According to the Kaulig Racing ace, Hamlin has been so successful on track that he can choose not to take things too seriously at times.

“We forget that we’re entertainers," Dillon explained. "And I think Denny has now gotten comfortable with himself and in his life that where he is successful, on track, and able to have fun with the fans, not take himself too serious, and lean into the villain role a little bit. I love that.”

“Luckily we’re starting to run good enough to where we’re getting an opportunity to kind of show my personality a little bit and kind of have fun with Denny as well. But if it wasn’t for him leaning into his fans, that comment doesn’t do anything for anybody,” Dillon added.

Named the Quaker State 400, the 260-lap race was held last Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hamlin’s day ended early due to a multi-race crash, while Dillon was able to pull off a top-10 finish. The drivers will face off again next week at the Chicago Street Circuit.

---

Former NASCAR champion responds to Ty Dillon’s dig at Denny Hamlin

Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion, who last competed full-time in 2023, recently shared his views on Ty Dillon trolling Denny Hamlin. He found nothing wrong with what the driver said, noting how much he has improved in 2025.

Dillon was the lowest-ranking seed and, as per the rules, paired with Hamlin, the No. 1 seed entering Round 1. Reflecting on that and Dillon’s performance this year, Harvick said on his Happy Hour Podcast (quoted by On3),

“Ty Dillon has run pretty respectable this year. It’s not like he’s just floundering around, like he has in the past several years. He’s legitimately run well this year. I think when you look at this bracket thing, it’s intriguing; it’s fun. This is fun.”

With Denny Hamlin out of the picture, Ty Dillon has a better shot at the $1 million cash prize. He is now matched up against RFK Racing driver and 2012 series champion Brad Keselowski. The action will unravel this coming Saturday, July 6, only on TNT Sports, 2 pm ET onwards.