“So listen here Mr. Almost NASCAR champion”: Denny Hamlin and Speedway Motorsports CEO engage in a war of words online

NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin and Speedway Motorsports' chief executive officer Marcus Smith were engaged in a heated debate online.

Sonoma Raceway, a California-based road course that plays host to various racing events across the year, was one of many racetracks in the United States to undergo a repavement within the last year. The 2.52-mile road course received it's first repave in over 23 years. The repave was completed in February, after a two-month project was flagged off in December of last year.

Earlier in the week, SRO America, a sports car series, announced a revised schedule of it's Fanatec GT World Challenge America at the repaved Sonoma Raceway. This came after some noticed that the surface on the circuit began to break apart during a pre-season test on Wednesday.

This news came up as a disappointment for Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin. Hamlin, who won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway the past Sunday, took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle to post a comment on the matter, writing:

"When paving a budget goes wrong. NWB will be next."

It is assumed that, by NWB, Denny Hamlin hinted at the recently-repaved North Wilkesboro Speedway.

However, things took an intriguing turn when Marcus Smith, the CEO of Speedway Motorsports that owns Sonoma Raceway (among 11 racetracks), responded to Hamlin's criticism. While his comment and the entire thread has now been deleted, it was apparent that the duo were involved in a heated discussion on social media.

Pointing out Hamlin's supposed ignorance, Smith wrote:

"Ignorance on display for the world to see! 👏👏"

Exchanging blows in a back-and-forth interaction, Hamlin retorted, advising Marcus to relinquish control of the business passed down by his father, Bruton Smith. Upon this, Smith called Hamlin out for his failure to win a Cup Series championship in his career. He wrote:

"So listen here, almost @NASCAR champion, you keep working at it and one day you're gonna get a big trophy!"

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How close has Denny Hamlin come to winning a NASCAR championship?

A Joe Gibbs Racing stalwart by all meanings, Hamlin has maintained his allegiance with the team for the entirety of his near two-decade long Cup Series career. Despite having won over 50 races in NASCAR's premier division, the 43-year-old driver has faltered in his quest for a Championship.

Barring the 2013 season where he suffered a lower back compression fracture, damaging his L1 vertebra, Denny Hamlin has succeeded in qualifying for the playoffs in each of his full-time Cup campaigns. Hamlin has competed in the championship race six times in his career, missing out on every instance.

The No. 11 Toyota driver, who has won the Daytona 500 three times, reached the Championship 4 field in his rookie season in 2006, finishing third in the Homestead-Miami finale. Denny Hamlin also contended in the season finale race for three consecutive seasons from 2019 to 2021.

Hamlin came closest to winning the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2010. However, a 10th-place finish in Homestead-Miami meant he had to settle for a runner-up finish behind seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson.

Now in his 20th Cup Series season, Denny Hamlin, the second-oldest driver on the current circuit, is still in pursuit of a maiden championship. The JGR driver has won two out of seven races so far in the season, and is third in the Cup standings with 252 points to his name, four less than Kyle Larson.