"I'm glad that guy went to the gym": $65M-worth Denny Hamlin shares funny lookalike stunt double encounter

Denny Hamlin recently shared a hilarious story of his encounter with a body double for Toyota's Sponsafier campaign. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is currently in contention for his maiden Cup Series championship title.

During a media interaction before the Go Bowling at the Glen race, Hamlin was asked if he had ever used a "stunt double". The $65 million worth (according to Celebrity Net Worth) Cup Series driver responded with an over-decade-old experience during an ad campaign for Toyota.

Soon after the interaction, the #11 Toyota driver posted an Instagram story describing his encounter with the body double actor, who had similar facial features but was far bulked up than Hamlin. He said:

"You may have seen the 'Its Denny time'. I'm glad that guy went to the gym."

via Denny Hamlin's Instagram

Recalling his funny experience, Hamlin added:

"I saw a guy that had a similar build as me, face features similar. I just thought it was interesting. He was coming into the casting trailer and changing that and what not. And then I'll put it all together once I saw the commercial."

via Denny Hamlin's Instagram

The NASCAR campaign by Toyota urged fans and allowed them to submit designs on the cars that can be featured in the Toyota Racing Experience. Here's the complete commercial posted on YouTube by NASCARAllOut.

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"I got to take the responsibility": Denny Hamlin reflects on the heat for the playoff cutline after Watkins Glen

The three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin opened up on his recent performance after finishing outside the top 20 for the second time in the 2024 playoff round.

After starting the race 22nd on the grid at the second race of the Round of 16, the 43-year-old got involved in mult-car chaos on Lap 1 but returned after repairs. He was also involved in another incident on Lap 46 which halted his momentum to run amongst the frontrunners of the road course.

In a post-race interview, Hamlin reflected on his performance and the qualifying result. He said:

"Yeah, I mean it's just a couple of races where things weren't in your control and didn't go well. Yeah, I mean the first lap, I mean certainly I got to take the responsibility for what I did on Saturday, which is the qualifying right, so that's on me. Certainly that put us right in the middle of where wrecks usually happen and we got chugged into it."

As things stand, the veteran driver is six points below the playoff cutline and will enter the Bristol Motor Speedway race where he claimed his first victory of the 2024 season.

So far in his 28 starts this season, Hamlin has accumulated three wins and would look to capitalize on the short track for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on September 21.