Denny Hamlin has more than happily accepted his role in NASCAR. He’s the Heel. He is the villain, a position he took over from his former teammate Kyle Busch. Denny Hamlin has admitted on his Podcast, Actions Detrimental, to knowing this position and embracing it. Even with his worst race ever rearing its ugly head at Sonoma.
Denny is known for being extremely vocal about his issues both on track as a racer and team owner. On top of that, being more than willing to call out his haters. This personality has drawn Denny a TON of social media hatred. From anti-Denny posts to memes, social media has shown Denny exactly how they feel about him.
What else is he known for? Winning. Denny Hamlin is one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR history, with 74 combined wins. His record sits at 2 Craftsman Truck Series wins, 18 Xfinity Series wins, and 54 Cup Series wins. He is currently the second-winningest driver in the NASCAR Cup Series behind Kyle Busch, who has 63 career Cup wins.
His Worst Race at Sonoma
On Sunday afternoon, Denny Hamlin had his worst race in his nearly 20-year Cup Series career at Sonoma Raceway. So what made this his worst race ever? Quite simply, the time. Denny started in 25th position and made it a whopping 2 laps before the engine of his No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry failed. In 846 starts, Denny Hamlin has never completed so few laps.
Denny Hamlin’s engine failed as he ran out of the horseshoe Turn 11 and passed the start/finish line as he ran in P. 29, spewing oil across the track. His Toyota teammate John Hunter Nemechek’s No 42 Camry slid into the outside wall after he drove through the oil that Hamlin’s car expended.
Denny only netted a single point earned at Sonoma Raceway, marking only his second DNF of the season.
Image: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
