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Newsweek
a day ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
'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. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. 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.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
NASCAR Insiders Clap Back At Michigan Critics: 'It's a Damn Good Race'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. While many fans might have fumed at the race results of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, considering the way Denny Hamlin secured victory, the fact of the matter is that such mileage races are also a form of pure stock car racing where drivers have to not only focus on raw speed but also have to conserve fuel to avoid running out towards the end of the race. The FireKeepers Casino 400 Cup race saw Carson Hocevar lead in the early stages, which meant he utilized all that his car had to offer. However, that burned a significant amount of fuel. With just 18 laps to go, Hocevar encountered a flat left rear tire, which forced him to pit, leading him to finish the race in P29. Hocevar admitted that despite the flat tire incident, he would still have to pit since he was running low on fuel. Similarly, William Byron, who led the race for 98 laps, ran out of fuel when there were just four laps to go. He drove hard in the end to defend the spot while Hamlin chased him, causing him to burn more fuel. Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, and Michael McDowell, driver of the #71 Delaware Life Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025... Christopher Bell, driver of the #20 Rheem Toyota, and Michael McDowell, driver of the #71 Delaware Life Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 08, 2025 in Brooklyn, Michigan. MorePitting in the closing stage of the race for fuel meant Byron finished the race in P28, allowing Hamlin to secure his third victory of the season. Being a seasoned driver, Hamlin conserved his fuel and gave a tough fight to Byron, setting an example of how performance and mileage can be achieved in the same race. Speaking on the Teardown podcast, The Athletic's Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi discussed the nature of the race at Michigan and revealed that it has the perfect mix of speed, strategy, team elements, and cautions that make a very good race. Bianchi said: "I say this all the time. If you are a NASCAR fan and you did not like this race, why? Because your favorite driver didn't win? Okay, sure, but this is what NASCAR racing is. You had the speed sensation, you have guys being able to make moves we didn't talk about, all of the things that we've talked about the Next Gen car, you had strategy, you had all of the team elements! You even had cautions. You had guys who overstepped, Blaney made a mistake and hit the wall, you had a damn good race here. I don't know why you would really hate this race." Gluck then pointed out fan reactions on X that complained about the mileage race, which prompted him to point out the strategic elements that make such races compelling. He added: "That is a strategy play, that is like guessing to see, and how much did you save, and how much did you lift, and should you go hard, should you try to take the lead. What's wrong with that? That's great stuff!" Bianchi responded: "It is a fundamental part of racing. Do you go hard? Do you save? Do you burn up your stuff and all of this? It's phenomenal."
Newsweek
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
NASCAR Expert Slams 23XI Racing's Sudden Slump: 'They've Fallen Off!'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck has questioned how 23XI Racing's performance has "fallen off" in the last couple of months. The team, which is co-owned by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin and NBA icon Michael Jordan, has had a rocky start to the season. Tyler Reddick, who won the 2024 regular season, is currently sixth in the standings. His team-mates Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst are in 10th and 32nd, respectively. While discussing the team on the Teardown podcast, Gluck explained: "23XI, they're weird, man. They've fallen off. "What's up with that? I don't get that at all. Reddick might've had the fastest car at Texas, he just never got the track position. But then he told me at Texas, 'Oh yeah, I feel like what happens, the speed we'll have at Texas will translate to Kansas, even though they're different tracks,' and then they just didn't really show anything. Co-owners of 23XI Racing, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx One Rate Toyota, and NBA Hall of Famer, Michael Jordan talk on the grid after the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway... Co-owners of 23XI Racing, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx One Rate Toyota, and NBA Hall of Famer, Michael Jordan talk on the grid after the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 06, 2024 in Talladega, Alabama. More"I thought, you know, I guess Bubba was up there. When he had his issue, he was maybe sixth or something. He had a penalty and then he was gone, you know, which happens a lot these days, right? If you have a setback, you're kind of done, unless it's early in the race, then you could overcome it. But yeah, I mean, Reddick — we never really saw what we'd expect out of them, right? So, I don't really know." Kansas was Wallace's fourth DNF of the season. Speaking to the media after his latest race retirement, the 23XI Racing driver explained: "Not really sure [what happened]. Not sure if the 67 [Corey Heim] got into somebody, and I just tried to hang a left and stay in the gas and I got clipped in the right rear. It's unfortunate. I hate it. It all stems back from our penalty earlier on. "We tried so hard to fight back, but it wasn't meant to be. We had a lot of confidence coming into this race. Felt good about it [Saturday], but just not our day. Not our last couple of weeks." NASCAR Cup Series: Current standings
