"The fans feel like they don’t relate to me at all": When Denny Hamlin delivered blunt opinion on why fans seemed put off by him

Despite never winning NMPA’s coveted Most Popular Driver Award, Denny Hamlin remains one of the most sought-after drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series. Haters might boo the Joe Gibbs Racing driver as much as they want, but the truth is, Denny Hamlin is a self-made man, and he deserves respect for that.

During an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com back in 2023, Hamlin opened up on how fans of the sport often fail to realize that there isn’t a lot of difference between their struggles and that of the Tampa, Florida native. Speaking of which, he said:

“I feel like the fans feel like they don’t relate to me at all. I mean, I do have flashy stuff and this, that and the other. But honestly, I feel we are more similar than people understand.”

Denny Hamlin began racing at the tender age of seven. He never had a famous dad or a family racing team to back him up. Through sheer determination and perseverance, the man is one of the most successful drivers in the series today.

“I came from nothing. I definitely had to come up the tough way, but it made me appreciate when I did get success. When I did find success, I was like, ‘Hey, I should be able to enjoy this.’ I should be able to have nice things because I worked really, really hard for it.’ I think that stuff kind of rubs fans generally the wrong way,” Denny Hamlin further explained.

Fast forward to 2025: Denny Hamlin is currently winless, vying for his first victory of the season. Ahead of him is the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, scheduled for Sunday, March 30. Fans can watch Hamlin in action on Fox Sports from 3 pm ET onward or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Former Cup Series champion predicts Denny Hamlin will win the upcoming race at Martinsville

In an episode of his “Happy Hour Podcast”, 2014 Cup champion and ex-Stewart-Haas Racing driver Kevin Harvick predicted that Denny Hamlin would win the upcoming 400-mile event at Martinsville Speedway. The JGR ace hasn’t won a single race since April 2024.

“King of Martinsville, you know that that's Denny Hamlin,” Harvick said. “It seems that they've kind of found their groove, steady and consistent, leading some laps, won a stage just last weekend, got a sponsor on the side of the car. All that noise, it just keeps getting quieter and quieter for Denny Hamlin because he just keeps putting himself in a position to perform well."

Denny Hamlin has several strong performances at the Virginian paper clip. In 38 starts, the veteran racer picked five wins, 15 top-fives, and six top-10s. Reflecting on his dominance at the track, Harvick further added:

“That's what he's been able to do throughout the year. So this could be a big Denny Hamlin weekend."

Denny Hamlin will enter the race 11th on Row 6 alongside Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. He is hungry for a championship, and a win will lock him directly into the playoffs. Hamlin’s teammate, Christopher Bell, got added to the mix after winning three back-to-back races at Atlanta, COTA and Phoenix.