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Denny Hamlin, Marcus Smith apologize for 'personal' attacks during heated X exchange

Nick Profile Picby:Nick Geddes•04/05/24•

NickGeddesNews

Denny Hamlin
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Denny Hamlin and Speedway Motorsports CEO Marcus Smith got into a heated exchange on X late Thursday night/early Friday morning.

The two traded barbs, a few which got a bit personal. Both Hamlin and Smith admitted Friday they took it too far.

“As of Friday morning, all of Smith’s tweets directed at Hamlin have been deleted,” Smith posted. “In their place, is an apology. Following up on my previous posts, I take a lot of pride in the dedication and hard work our teammates put forth to make @NASCAR the very best it can be and I shouldn’t let social media conversations get personal, so I deleted those posts. @dennyhamlin is a passionate driver and team owner and I’m truly looking forward to seeing him drive for a championship this year. 

“Our team is working hard to fix some pavement issues @racesonoma and we will get it right. Let’s keep the positive momentum going in 2024!”

Hamlin cosigned Smith’s statement.

“Ill cosign this. I’ll definitely take responsibility for my part in it,” Hamlin wrote. “It got more personal than it should have for sure.”

Denny Hamlin, Marcus Smith go back-and-forth on X

Hamlin, fresh off his victory at Richmond Raceway this past Sunday, got things started when he responded to a photo shared by NASCAR on Reddit. The photo showed the newly repaved track surface at Sonoma Raceway coming up on Turn 11. The issue forced the cancelation of SRO America testing at the racetrack, one of 11 racetracks owned by Speedway Motorsports.

Hamlin offered a scathing review of Smith’s company.

“When paving on a budget goes wrong,” Hamlin wrote. “NWB will be next.”

Among the responses from Smith, a shot at Hamlin for not winning a Cup Series championship.

“Following up on my previous post, our team at Speedway Motorsports has an amazing track record for working to exceed expectations. Your nonchalant post is insult to hundreds of people that are dedicated to exceeding expectations for the Racing community, and @NASCAR fans around the world. You’re a negative comments would carry a lot more weight if you had a championship to back them up,” Smith posted. “Good luck in your quest for 2024.”