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Denny Hamlin celebrated his 55th career victory earned at Martinsville Speedway with a banner saying, "11 Against The World." However, some fans disapproved of the bold statement referencing Ohio State Football's "Ohio Against The World" slogan.
Driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin started the Cook Out 400 in fifth place. He led for 274 laps and defended first place against teammate Christopher Bell, who entered the short track race as the pole sitter.
Bell finished in second, followed by Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson.
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After winning the race, Denny Hamlin held the banner up high as he got out of his car to celebrate the victory, his first Martinsville win in 10 years. One fan on X (formerly Twitter) thought the celebration suggested how much hate the 44-year-old driver knows he's getting.
"At least he knows everyone hates him," the fan wrote.
"It's Denny's mind vs the world," another fan said.
Some fans didn't hold back and criticized the celebration, with others calling it cringeworthy.
"This is cringy ngl," an X user commented.
"He makes it impossible to like him," a fan wrote.
Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin also received love from fans after the win. One X user recalled the Virginia native's message to the NASCAR nation following his Bristol Motor Speedway triumph in 2023.
"Denny just whooped your favorite drivers a** today," the fan stated.
"As a Buckeye fan and Denny fan, this is awesome," another fan wrote.
After the Martinsville race, Denny Hamlin moved up two spots to sixth in the standings with 217 points. The victory also clinched him one of the 16 playoff spots, extending his postseason appearance streak. He has never missed the playoff fight except in the 2013 season when he missed races due to injury.
Denny Hamlin explains "11 Against The World" statement after Martinsville win
In a post-race interview, Denny Hamlin was asked about the "11 Against The World" banner held up in celebration of the Martinsville win. The Toyota pilot said he decided to use the statement after hanging out with his friends, who are Ohio State fans.
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver told Jamie Little (via NASCAR):
"My buddies [are] Ohio State fans that I hung with at the end of last year. We always had the 'Ohio State Against The World'... so now it's '11 Against The World.'" [1:47]
The slogan, created by Cincinnati native Floyd Johnson in 2009, embraces underdog sports storylines in the state.
