It is no secret that Denny Hamlin has embraced his role as NASCAR's top villain. This week, his ego has continued to poke the bear, so to speak, with NASCAR's fans.
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He got a little personal with some of the fans on social media.
Hamlin was fresh off a third-place finish in Sunday's race at Talladega when he talked with NBC's Kim Coon following the race. It was during that interview that Hamlin simply mispronounced his sponsor's name.
Some fans on social media quickly jumped on Hamlin's blunder and let him hear about it.
This is nothing. I once thanked the guys in the ugly brown truck… https://t.co/luNk38RFmY
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) October 1, 2023
"So Denny not knowing how to pronounce his sponsor's name on live TV," the fan wrote on X. Hamlin was quick to chirp back at the fan: "This is nothing. I once thanked the guys in the ugly brown truck..."
He didn't stop there, as Hamlin fired plenty of shots at several other fans' posts. One fan, @Buzzc60, tried to cause controversy by saying Hamlin had something to do with the crash that occurred as the cars crossed the finish line Sunday.
"Looks like @dennyhamlin may have caused the wreck at the finish. #Talladega," @Buzzc60 wrote.
That seemed to really upset Hamlin, as he got personal with the fan and suggested that the fan clearly needed to go to the eye doctor.
"Sir im calling to confirm your appointment with our optometrist tomorrow at 11am. Type yes to confirm," Hamlin wrote.
Sir im calling to confirm your appointment with our optometrist tomorrow at 11am. Type yes to confirm. https://t.co/vqc7FpYfUD
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) October 1, 2023
Hamlin has been very consistent throughout the playoffs, and his third-place finish Sunday proved that he is very much a championship contender. The real question is: Even if playing the villain is helping Hamlin, what good is it if he is firing back at fans on social media?
What if he makes a mistake and says something insensitive? How will that be handled? Go ahead and play the villain, Hamlin — hope it doesn't come back to bite you.
Everyone knows how many times you have choked away a championship. Getting into it with fans sure seems like another distraction.
