“It’s clear that I jumped the start”: Denny Hamlin trolls his haters on social media after Richmond Cup Series race debacle

NASCAR superstar Denny Hamlin used April's Fool as an opportunity to get back at fans after the Richmond Cup Series fiasco. Hamlin won the race controversially after overtaking Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano in pit lane, before securing the victory in overtime in his home race.

Truex Jr looked set to clinch his fourth Richmond victory under the lights. However, Bubba Wallace's collision with Kyle Larson brought out a caution just before the white flag.

Hamlin and his crew used this opportunity and delivered a rapid pit stop of just 8.99 seconds to clinch the lead. Truex and Logano's team took 10.29 seconds in comparison.

Much has been said about the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's win, particularly about him jumping the restart before crossing the white line. However, the NASCAR VP has since explained why they deemed it as a fair restart.

Hamlin took this opportunity to mess with some NASCAR fans on his social media. He tweeted on X:

"After much consideration, talks with the team and dissecting the SMT data, it is clear that I jumped the start. Because of that, I've decided to do the right thing and... wish you a happy April Fools Day!"

Hamlin's haters weren't happy with the post, with one fan even comparing the start to an iconic scene from the 2012 movie 'The Dictator':

A few others tweeted:

The 23XI Co-owner also credited his team for the win in his victory speech.

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Denny Hamlin sings praises of his team after sneaking a win at Richmond

Denny Hamlin grabbed his second win of the season at Richmond and his team had a vital role in that win. The #11 team's pit crew delivered a clutch stop to give Hamlin the advantage going into the final couple of laps of the race.

Hamlin said after the race win:

"This is a team win for sure. This trophy needs to go to each one of this pit crew members. They just did an amazing job. They've been killing it all year."

Hamlin also added:

" Everyone that makes it happen. Such a great feeling when you know you can come in and have a pit crew like that."

This was Hamlin's fifth win at his home race. Kyle Larson won his 3rd stage win of the 2024 NASCAR season in stage 1. Martin Truex Jr dominated the second stage to win his first stage win in stage 2.

Larson incidentally finished higher (P3) from where he was running before his crash with Bubba Wallace.

With two wins already this season, the question beckons once again. Can Hamlin finally win his maiden NASCAR championship?