"An evening fit for an icon": Denny Hamlin celebrates Paul Schadt's retirement with William Byron and Zane Smith

NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Zane Smith recently gathered to celebrate the retirement of North Carolina’s beloved country radio personality, Paul Schadt. The trio joined Schadt at Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte for a memorable evening, honoring his decades-long career in the industry.

Denny Hamlin, a veteran in the NASCAR Cup Series, drives the #11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing. Over his career, he has amassed 74 victories, 54 of which came in the Cup Series, solidifying his reputation as one of the sport’s most consistent drivers. However, despite his achievements, the 43-year-old remains in pursuit of his first Cup Series championship.

In a recent post on Instagram, Hamlin uploaded a picture of the three NASCAR drivers with the former WSOC-FM 103.7 host and wrote:

"An evening fit for an icon. Congratulations and enjoy your retirement Paul Schadt! 🍾"

In the pre-season Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, Denny Hamlin and William Byron secured spots in the 200-lap feature race, while Zane Smith fell short, finishing P6 in the Last Chance Qualifier. Hamlin finished the Clash in P3 after a hard-fought battle with William Byron's HMS teammate, Chase Elliott, who emerged victorious in the pre-season exhibition race, starting his 2025 season on a positive note.

Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin locked in his spot for the 2024 playoffs with three impressive regular-season wins. However, his momentum faltered in the postseason, and the three-time Daytona 500 winner was eliminated after the Round of 8. Over 36 races, Hamlin secured three victories, 12 top-five finishes, and four pole positions.

Clash winner Chase Elliott admits what he was “afraid” of during his battle against Denny Hamlin

Chase Elliott dominated at the historic Madhouse, piloting the #9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He won his heat race, secured pole position, and led 171 of 200 laps. Denny Hamlin briefly took the lead near the halfway mark, but Elliott quickly reclaimed control. Holding off the three-time Daytona 500 winner, Elliott secured victory as NASCAR returned to Bowman Gray Stadium.

In a post-race interview with FOX Sports at the Winston-Salem facility, Hamlin's Cup Series rival reflected on his performance at Bowman Gray, saying:

"I know it's not a points race but it is nice to win for sure and just really proud of our team for you know, just continuing to keep our heads down and push. Had a tough race, Ryan (Blaney) kept me on a set at the end you know Denny (Hamlin) was really good there at the second half of that break and I just felt like he was kind of riding and I was afraid to lose control of the race and not be able to get it back.

"Fortunately, it worked out you know a great way to start the season huge thanks to everybody Hendrick Motorsports a lot of hard work over the offseason, we have some great partners. Excited to get to Daytona, it's a great way to start the season" he added.

The Cup Series regular season is less than two weeks away, starting with the Daytona 500 on February 16 at 2:30 PM Eastern time. Catch the race live on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM.