It was an exciting start to the 2024 season at the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Denny Hamlin claimed the top spot as he drove his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to victory lane in the 150-lap race, and he was back to his old self proclaiming the phrase he made famous in 2023 after winning the Bristol night race.
In a post-race interview with Fox Sports' Jamie Little, Hamlin repeated his "I beat your favorite driver" line, even including the phrase "again" at the end after climbing from his car to a cascade of boos from fans in the stands.
It appears to have become his go-to move, much like Kyle Busch likes to bow win he wins, or the backflips Carl Edwards used to do to celebrate a victory.
However, it seems like it might have been the last time Hamlin will utter the phrase, as he told a little story about a text he got from his dad on this week's episode of "Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin" podcast.
The phrase is being retired according to Hamlin.
BREAKING NEWS: The ?I beat your favorite driver? era is over ? pic.twitter.com/U1q28tQKJc
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 7, 2024
"Breaking news, I'm going to retire the, 'I beat your favorite driver,' because I got a text, and those of you (that) saw the Netflix special, with my dad,: Hamlin said. "He sent me a text and he said, 'Son, you've got to stop that. I don't like it. It's just too cocky.' I'm going to listen to Dad on this one. So we're going to retire it. That's the last time I think — jokes are always funnier the first time you say it, not the second or third or whatever anyway. So, we'll come up with something new next time around."
That line will live on though, as it is the truth, as the fans at Bristol that night booed and the fans at L.A. Colisseum booed too. No matter how loud you boo, he still wins races and beats everyone's favorite drivers.
Hamlin isn't afraid to say something to rile up the crowd, so it's only a matter of time before he comes up with a new catchphrase.
