Denny Hamlin obliterates HMS 'fanboys' blaming him for William Byron's loss at the Coca-Cola 600
As Sunday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway wrapped up, Hendrick Motorsports supporters were left with the notion that Denny Hamlin was responsible for William Byron losing the crown jewel event. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver addressed the matter on his podcast while calling out the HMS fanboys.
With about 100 laps to go, Hamlin found himself in a battle with Byron, who led a race-high 283 laps and swept all three stages. They exchanged the lead a couple of times before committing to the pit road for one last time.
But Hamlin struggled with fuel, pitting again shortly after. Unable to retrieve the lead, the Tampa, Florida native settled for a disappointing P16 finish. So when the fans blamed him for Byron’s misery, Hamlin got all worked up.
“Speaking of HMS fanboys, I'm getting some mentions that I was responsible for Byron losing. What the f***k are people watching? I was behind him when he stepped on his s**t," the driver said on the latest episode of Actions Detrimental. (55:50)
"How can I hold him up when I'm behind him? How can people be that dumb? If you said that, you're an idiot. That is just asinine.You think I give a f*** at that point? I just fitted with 10 laps to go, trying to get back on the lead lap in case the caution comes, then maybe I stay out cause I got right side tires and I squeeze some sort of finish out of this freaking day,” he added. (56:55)
Denny Hamlin currently sits sixth in the 2025 championship standings with 390 points to his name. He has won two races so far, besides bagging five top-fives and six top-10s. Next up for the Toyota icon is the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.
Scheduled for Sunday, June 1, the 300-lap race will stream live on Amazon Prime Video, 7 pm ET onwards. Radio updates will be available on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Notably, reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano happens to be the defending track champion.
NASCAR legend Kyle Petty had a message for Denny Hamlin following Sunday’s Coke 600
Kyle Petty is all for Denny Hamlin bagging his 60th career win. But before that, he expects series newcomer Carson Hocevar to deliver his maiden win. Stating the same on the debut episode of his Kiss My Asphalt podcast, the motorsports veteran said,
“We see these young drivers are hungry. It’s a changing time in this sport, and we are very blessed to be able to be here a see it. I love Denny Hamlin, I hope he gets to 60.”
“But I’m telling you something, I hope Carson Hocevar gets his one or two before Denny gets to 60,” he added.
Despite finishing Stage 1 just outside of the top 10, fourth in Stage 2, and third in Stage 3, Hocevar’s day at Charlotte ended with yet another DNF, his fourth of the season. It was all due to a mechanical failure in his No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevy.
The Portage, Michigan, native took to X and reflected on his day. He wrote,
“could’ve won. could’ve not. just wish we could have had an opportunity to finish that one out and see. thank you @chilis and everyone on our 77 group. ugh. need a ‘dente.”
Denny Hamlin is currently at 56 career victories in the NASCAR Cup Series. Which means he is four wins away from catching Kevin Harvick in all-time wins. Will Hocevar bag his career-first win before Hamlin logs his 60th win? For now, one can only speculate.