'Heel Denny' Hamlin Showered With Praise After Intense Boos At Michigan
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin achieved his third Cup Series win of the season and 57th of his career on Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.
Hamlin is a true veteran of racing, still competing at the age of 44 years and delivering wins.
Despite his legendary status in NASCAR, Hamlin has become somewhat of a villain in the sport, often getting booed during his driver introduction and the podium ceremony as well.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Yahoo! Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Yahoo! Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Photo byJeff Gluck, co-host of the Teardown and writer for The Athletic, broke down Hamlin's rise as the "bad guy" of NASCAR.
"He gets by far the most boos in driver intros and then we were on pit road afterwards and you know he just gets showered with boos," Gluck said on the Teardown podcast.
"He climbs out of his car and as soon as he gets showered with boos, he immediately goes into wrestling heel mode."
"I love heel Denny. NASCAR needs that. NASCAR needs guys who embrace it and relish it and he does," co-host Jordan Bianchi added.
The race in Michigan featured a ton of drama, from the drivers in the lead struggling with fuel management to others in the middle of the pack making up serious ground.
Hamlin came from the middle, making a charge to the front, which resulted in an overtake at lap 197 of 200. The driver in the lead was William Byron until Hamlin passed him.
Byron finished in 28th place after running out of gas - literally - at the end of the race.
NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 Results:
1. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
2. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
3. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
4. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
5. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
6. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet
7. Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford
8. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet
9. Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford
10. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
11. Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
12. Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford
13. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
14. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet
15. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
16. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
17. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
18. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet
19. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet
21. Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet
22. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
23. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota
24. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet
25. Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
26. Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford
27. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
28. William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
29. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
30. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
31. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford
32. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
33. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
34. John H Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
35. Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford
36. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
For more NASCAR news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
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