"A little uncomfortable in the beginning": When Denny Hamlin shared details of his dinner with the Kardashians

Denny Hamlin once revealed the time he had dinner with famous internet personalities, members of the Kardashian family. During a 2017 interview with Jeff Gluck, the JGR driver was asked about the most famous person he's had dinner with.

Hamlin asked for clarification from Gluck about whether the dinner had to be a one-on-one or with a group. Following that, he revealed that he had dinner in 'a very small group' of eight people which involved the Kardashians and Scott Disick.

"This was at the grand opening of Butter (Hamlin’s former nightclub), probably six years ago. I would say in a very small group, probably eight people or so, with the Kardashians and Lord Disick [Scott Disick]," Hamlin revealed.

When asked how they were like, the #11 driver said:

"Pretty quiet for the most part, but I don’t know. You could just tell they were a little uncomfortable in the beginning, but they kinda got into their groove by the end of the night."

It's worth mentioning that Denny Hamlin currently co-owns 23XI Racing with NBA legend Michael Jordan. But way before the team emerged in 2021, Hamlin's association with Jordan began a decade prior to that in 2011.

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Denny Hamlin shared his take on NASCAR drivers being entertainers

During the same interview with Jeff Gluck, Denny Hamlin was asked for his take on the subject of racecar drivers as entertainers. Hamlin agreed to that idea, stating that drivers are entertainers and 'more than just racecar drivers.'

He elaborated:

"I mean, we go to autograph sessions and fan fests and do Q&A’s and things like that, so absolutely I would say we’re in the entertainment business."

When asked about his middle finger policy on the racetrack, Hamlin claimed he used to throw around a lot of them, but then he stopped. This was because he started getting bothered when other drivers would show him the finger.

Despite that, he said he tries to stick out his hand when he's frustrated, showing up five fingers instead of one. Reacting to this, Gluck mentioned that Hamlin going from one finger to five was 'very gentlemanly' of him. The JGR driver said he had never been called that before.

Interestingly, Denny Hamlin in 2024 is one of the most polarizing drivers in NASCAR. Over the last few years, owing to his on-track altercations with some of the most loved and popular drivers like Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, Hamlin has developed a reputation among many fans as a villain.

Earlier this year, Hamlin looked back and singled out one moment from 2017 when his perception and image among the fans began to change. For the #11 driver, it was his feud with Chase Elliott at Martinsville which turned out to be 'probably one of the big defining moments' of his career.

Having said that, it's worth mentioning that Hamlin acknowledged and accepted his role as a NASCAR villain in 2023, claiming he understands being 'the heel' in the sport.