Getty Images Denny Hamlin
It seems clear that Denny Hamlin seeks out attention not only on track but also on camera and online. His latest dust-up was a late-night social media fight with Marcus Smith, chairman of SMI (Speedway Motorsports).
While much of the NASCAR world was tucked away in bed on April 4, Hamlin and Smith engaged in a surprisingly nasty — and extremely personal — spat on X (formerly Twitter).
Hamlin fired the first shot. He accused SMI of “paving on a budget” at Sonoma and implied the company had done the same at North Wilkesboro, which will host the NASCAR All-Star race in May.
Though Smith later deleted many of his posts, he landed as many shots as he took, including this: “So listen here, almost NASCAR Champion, you keep working at it and one day you’re gonna get a big trophy!”
Ouch. The reason for the online fight?
Ostensibly, over how SMI repaves the NASCAR tracks it owns and operates.
SMI owns and operates several racetracks. Marcus Smith runs the company, which was founded by his father. Hamlin instigated the fight by going on Twitter and suggesting that SMI repave and reconfigure the tracks on the cheap and without input from the drivers.
The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck screen captured much of the fight.
I’m honestly having trouble believing this is even real. Did one of them get hacked? Both? Like…what is going on right now?
Everyone Talking About Denny Hamlin
Credit to Hamlin. He knows how to draw attention to himself.
Hamlin’s 53 NASCAR Cup Series wins place him 13th on the all-time wins list. Among current drivers, he’s second only to Kyle Busch. That drives attention to Hamlin. Is it enough? Seems not.
Most NASCAR fans already know that Hamlin, after a win, loves to stand atop his car and gleefully exclaim, “I just beat your favorite driver.” Hamlin’s also good at grabbing attention even when he’s not racing. For example, Hamlin managed to make himself a centerpiece of the popular Netflix series, NASCAR: Full Speed.
As Heavy wrote at the series premiere, “Hamlin’s story drives much of NASCAR: Full Speed. Surprisingly, the thorny veteran emerges as an almost likable star of the series. A hard-driving racer, determined team owner, and deeply engaged father.”
Hamlin is also good at generating attention for himself online. For example, following last week’s controversial finish at the Toyota Owners 400. Many said Hamlin jumped the restart and should have been penalized. Hamlin didn’t deny this. Instead, he stoked the flames of the controversy. Hamlin first took to X to make fun of the controversy.
He posted: “After much consideration, talks with the team and dissecting the SMT data, it is clear that I jumped the start. Because of that, I’ve decided to do the right thing and… wish you a happy April Fools Day!”
Later that day, Hamlin went on his podcast and confessed, “I went pretty early in the zone.”
Just a few days later on April 4, Hamlin returned to X and went after Marcus Smith and the work of SMI.
Denny Hamlin, Marcus Smith Engage in Late-Night Fight on X – @TobyChristieCom
Choosing Sides in the Latest Denny Hamlin Spat
Denny Hamlin is one of the winningest drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history. And he’s co-owner of 23XI Racing, which competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. Yet, many in NASCAR chose not to take Hamlin’s side in his fight with Marcus Smith.
Dave Moody, of SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, posted: “Very few have done more to elevate the fan experience in this sport than the Smith Family. When you break boundaries and try new things, sometimes you fail. But there have been plenty of wins.”
Bob Pockrass, with FOX Sports, suggested that the Smith – Hamlin spat got out of hand. Pockrass decided it was part of a larger fight over NASCAR’s ongoing charter negotiations with the teams, including Hamlin’s.
Pockrass wrote, “So here is a driver and team co-owner bashing a track owner for spending less money — a subtle way of possibly indicating that the tracks are pocketing money that could be better used to go to the teams.”
As he often does right after a big kerfuffle, Hamlin tried to then make light of the situation. Early on April 5, Hamlin (once more) took to social media.
Again I ask, could someone come out with a paint scheme or something. 🫠
“Again I ask, could someone come out with a paint scheme or something,” Hamlin wrote.
This fight may need more than a paint job to cover up.
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Denny Hamlin Sure Knows How to Bring Attention to Himself