Denny Hamlin congratulates 'Lego-builder' William Byron on first Daytona 500 win

Denny Hamlin had nothing but praise for William Byron after the latter joined him as a Daytona 500 victor on Monday.

While Hamlin has three Harley J. Earl trophies, Byron’s on his way after capturing his first. The Hendrick Motorsports star might not be as outspoken as the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is, and Hamlin has had his beef with the team in the past, but the wheelman didn’t have a bad word to say about Byron this week.

“Willy B. Let’s talk about him. He’s quiet, and he’s a Lego-builder. But the guy wins races,” Hamlin stated, via the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast. “I mean, I don’t know what else you can say about him. He’s a winner. He finds a way to win. He’s now surpassed Ryan Blaney in career wins, this is his 11th win. Ryan Blaney’s got 10, in his career. But Willy B’s just, the kid’s a winner. … Well-earned.

“He races so wise, beyond his years. He really does. I admire William. I admire his work-ethic. Who he is as a person.

That sounds a lot like what the rest of the field says about Byron week-in and week-out. It’s evident he’s made his impression on his peers, and at such a young age, Byron won’t be going anywhere for a long time.

Continuing, Hamlin even threw out a Jimmie Johnson comparison for Byron, and theorized we could see him become a 50-race-winner, like Hamlin is, if he keeps up his torrent pace over the next decade and change.

“I think of him a lot like Jimmie Johnson, in the sense that he just gets results. He gets a lot of results. He’s not super flashy about it. He’s a really good person outside the race-car, as he is inside the race-car. He always races fair with everyone,” Hamlin added. “I mean, have we ever heard William Byron getting into, or wrecking someone? … I’ve got tremendous respect for him as a driver. He’s obviously going to be part of this sport for a very long time.

“He’s 26-years-old, with 11 wins. Let’s just pretend he’s one of the best NASCAR drivers over the next 12 years. 12 years, three wins, that puts him at 45 wins, in the next 12 years, if he averages three a year. Add that to his 11. It’s a 50-win guy, or more.”

Up next is another track William Byron has won at in the past in Atlanta. Denny Hamlin will be contending for a win as well, but we’ll see if the “Lego-builder” can go back-to-back to start the 2024 campaign in Georgia.