NASCAR: Is Denny Hamlin the new ‘most hated driver’?

By Asher Fair | Dec 31, 2017

AVONDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 12: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota, drives during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Can-Am 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on November 12, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

Kyle Busch has been the most hated driver in the NASCAR Cup Series for quite some time. But has Denny Hamlin passed him for that title?

Heading into the opening race of the 2017 round of 8 at Martinsville Speedway, 2015 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch was the sport’s most hated driver, and he had been for many years. But as a result of that race, did this change?

With just over one lap remaining in the race, Chase Elliott, who many fans believe will be NASCAR’s next most popular driver as a result of the retirement of 15-time reigning Most Popular Driver Award winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., was leading and looked poised to earn his first career victory in the series to lock himself into the Championship 4.

But Denny Hamlin, who was running in 2nd place, nudged him and spun him out. Not only did this allow another restart to ensue, which allowed Kyle Busch to go on to win the race to become the first driver to secure his spot in the Championship 4, but it may have let Busch off the hook in another way.

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In a matter of a few seconds, Hamlin may have surpassed Busch as NASCAR’s most hated driver, a title that Busch has held for much of the last decade.

When Elliott and Hamlin confronted each other after the race, there was no doubt who the crowd sided with. During Hamlin’s post-race interview, the track was filled with boos. But during Elliott’s post-race interview, the crowd was roaring with cheers.

Yes, a lot of this had to do with the fact that Elliott is already one of the sport’s most popular drivers and he had more fans in attendance than Hamlin. But as a result of this combined with the fact that Hamlin spun Elliott out, did this occurrence make Hamlin the sport’s most hated driver?

That may very well be the case. After the incident, almost everyone wanted Elliott to get revenge on Hamlin. While he didn’t do so in the following race at Texas, he did at Phoenix by nudging Hamlin into the wall, causing one of Hamlin’s tires to go down, which ended up being the reason why Hamlin hit the wall just a few laps later, ending his chances for a race win and a spot in the Championship 4.

The only question is whether or not Denny Hamlin will continue to be the sport’s most hated driver in the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season or if the level of hate he received toward the end of the 2017 season was only temporary. This could be determined by whether or not his feud with Chase Elliott continues in 2018.

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All in all, it’s tough to say for sure whether Denny Hamlin truly is the sport’s most hated driver, even more so than Kyle Busch, as a result of one wreck with Chase Elliott. We should know more once the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season gets underway, which is set to take place with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 18th.