MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Denny Hamlin has obviously heard the boos in driver introductions and has gone all in on the role as the heel driver in the NASCAR Cup Series.
After all, who can forget the “I beat your favorite driver” line after his Bristol win a couple of years ago?
So few people should be surprised that he broke out a flag that said “11 Against The World” after his victory Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
“That’s me,” Hamlin said. “Go shoot hoops with me, play pickleball with me, play golf with me. If I can’t s***-talk, it takes away my superpower. I’m not nearly as good.
“My friends — it drives them absolutely crazy. It fuels me, and it just makes me feel good.”
Hamlin hasn’t had many opportunities to talk smack lately.
Before his smackdown on Sunday, he had gone winless for 31 consecutive races since his triumph at Dover 11 months ago. And his most recent win came at one of his best tracks. He had five previous Cup victories at the track, but the most recent before Sunday came in 2015.
So the 44-year-old Hamlin — who at 55 victories is five short of his next goal of 60 career wins — relished capturing another race in his home state and feeling like he hasn’t lost a step during his slump.
“I probably am the king of irrational confidence. Generally speaking, I know that when I got the car to do it, I can be the best,” Hamlin said. “I haven’t felt like I’ve held back the car at any point. Certainly, I’m not immune to understanding that Father Time is undefeated.”
And he didn’t just win. He did so in dominating fashion. He led 274 of the final 275 laps in the 400-lap race at NASCAR’s shortest points-race oval (0.526 miles). He finished 4.6 seconds ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell.
“We had the feeling [in the early 2010s] we were just better than anyone else,” Hamlin said. “It was easy. I didn’t have to put in all the work that I do now.
“It was just aggravating to be the next-best at this track for the last five years, just never having it. The it is the ability to control a race, run as fast as you need to to lead the race and pull away when you want. Today we had it.”
Hamlin’s “11 Against The World” flag is a nod to his Ohio State friends. It’s also a nod to his podcast named “Actions Detrimental” — a reference to NASCAR’s actions-detrimental penalty that’s often cited in penalty reports.
Some would say that Hamlin is fighting the world in another fashion.
As co-owner of 23XI Racing, he is in the ring fighting NASCAR off the track, as 23XI and Front Row Motorsports are suing the league for alleged antitrust violations.
Few have questioned Hamlin’s ability to leave the off-track drama off the track, but the win is the best way to silence any thoughts that he has too much going on to perform at an elite level.
“I think days like today answer it,” said his racing team owner, Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs when asked if he felt Hamlin had ever lost focus. “And really, Denny has always kind of had a lot going on. He attracts that stuff.
“And so, no, I haven’t seen anything like that in him. I think he’s been on it.”
Chris Gabehart, the competition director at JGR, said Hamlin has continued to put in the work.
“There’s not a chance that our outside influences don’t affect us in some way, shape or form because we’re all human,” Gabehart said. “But Denny, for 20 years now, has been a consummate pro and figured out a way to compartmentalize those things better than nearly anyone — and 55 times worth.
“So, sure [it impacts him], but give me a break. He’s Denny Hamlin. He’s fantastic.”
Gabehart moved from the role of Hamlin crew chief to a company-wide position, trying to work all the team’s Cup cars.
“He’s a dog with a bone,” Gabehart said. “[He’s] like all these guys that are at the front of this garage every week. They’re intense. They want to win. And Denny Hamlin is willing to kind of do whatever it takes to win in terms of evolving.
“He’s been in the sport for 20 years. How many generations of cars and tires and aero packages? And that is so much to have to evolve in. … Evolve or die. And he’s clearly done it as well as anybody.”
In Gabehart’s place in charge of the No. 11 team is Chris Gayle. And Gayle has adapted his style to team members and to Hamlin, making the transition seamless. Part of that ease can be attributed to Hamlin’s ability.
As Gabehart said, “evolve or die.”
“When you’re just in your 30s or something, you’ve got such a long runway ahead of you. You’re always thinking about, ‘We’ll go win next week, the week after that, the week after that,’” Hamlin said.
“Certainly, however many races I’m going to win between now and the end, I’m going to value them just a little bit more. Just from perspective, from wisdom that you have, understanding the value of it, how hard it is to do.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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