“I was wildly entertained”: Denny Hamlin reveals how he became a fan of Ohio State University

NASCAR Cup Series regular Denny Hamlin is a diehard fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes Football team. He was recently spotted cheering for the team during their recent game with the Texas Longhorns.

The 44-year-old shared a few pictures of himself from the fixture at AT&T Stadium, and a fan asked him the story of him supporting Ohio State.

“Okay…I need to hear the story of how you became an Ohio State fan. I’m surprised," the fan's question read.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver revealed that as he never went to college, he was free to choose which team to support. Furthermore, he also said he has friends who are also fans of the Ohio State University.

“I never went to college so no allegiance to any other schools,” Hamlin replied. “Ive got 2 friends who are absolute lunatic fanatics of OSU. Went to a game to watch them be fans and I was wildly entertained. Friends ride with OSU, so I ride with them.”

Hamlin is vying for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2025. He has multiple wins in crown jewel events like the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 but a titular win has always eluded the Tampa, Florida native.

Hamlin is currently in his 20th year driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He will return behind the wheel of the No. 11 Toyota Camry in 2025, pairing with new crew chief Chris Gayle and replacing former crew chief Chris Gabehart. Gabehart is now the Competition Director for the team.

NASCAR insider optimistic about Denny Hamlin’s ex-crew chief Chris Gabehart’s new role

Denny Hamlin (left) with crew chief Chris Gabehart (right) at Dover Motor Speedway. - Source: Imagn

Chris Gabehart and Denny Hamlin have been working together since 2019, marking one of the most iconic crew chief and driver duos of all time. They won 22 races together, as per reports.

So putting someone like Gabehart, who Denny Hamlin is used to working with, in another role and getting someone else to crew chief for him, felt odd to several fans. However, according to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, this switch will benefit Gabehart.

"To put Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole to put Chris Gabehart as a competition director, really smart move,” Bianchi said in an episode of 'The Teardown'. “They need to be better, and if you look at the role that Chris is going into, they really didn’t have somebody kind of in that specific role.”

“They had various people kind of doing the different things associated with it, it wasn’t one person. It makes sense that you would put Chris in this role. I think he’s going to thrive, and I think he’s going to make the organization better,” he added.

This year’s season-opening clash at Bowman Gray Stadium will host Denny Hamlin’s first race in a long time without Chris Gabehart atop the pit box. Fans can watch the race live on FOX from 8 pm ET onwards.