Denny Hamlin reflects on, laughs at contentious past with Brad Keselowski

Denny Hamlin has had his fair share of beefs over recent seasons. Ross Chastain and Chase Elliott come to mind. However, a blast from the past is Brad Keselowski.

The two veteran drivers had their number of run-ins over their time in NASCAR. While Hamlin recollected and shared some laughs while speaking on his problems with Keselowski from back in the day, he heaped praise on his performance in the Cup Series since becoming an owner-driver at RFK Racing, similar to Hamlin with 23XI Racing.

“I don’t think we give RFK enough credit, for even when it seems like the Fords are not quite what you would expect, or they’re not up to par, Brad and Chris Buescher, Brad mostly has really started to come into his own,” stated Hamlin, via Actions Detrimental. “Brad’s a really, really good driver. I mean, he really is. I just thought that he made a career choice there where he was willing to rebuild. Him and Penske, that relationship ran its course.

“But I always thought that Brad — I shouldn’t say I always thought he was a great driver, but it’s true. I did. Publicly, I might’ve shamed him a little bit, because I was angry with him, because he was wrecking me in the Xfinity Series all the time. But I remember back in the day, when they asked, ‘Who’s the next guy coming up like you?’ I’m like, well it’s Brad. They’re like, ‘That guy six laps down in that piece of s— car?’ I was like, yeah. That guy. He’s definitely proving to be a very instrumental part of that organization, and it’s looking like he’s sending them in the right direction for performance.”

That’s a pretty cool thing of Hamlin to do, giving Keselowski his praise after all these years. Some may think Hamlin is the more talented driver, but Keselowski is the one with a championship, although both have been highly successful throughout their careers.

Continuing, Hamlin was asked if the owner-driver duo ever comes together to bounce ideas off each other, even though Keselowski’s team is Ford and Hamlin’s is Toyota, and the 23XI Racing owner’s answer may surprise you.

“Yeah, absolutely we do. Certainly we have same opinions, sometimes differing opinions,” explained Hamlin. “We talk it out, and I think that he’s an asset. He’s an asset as an owner in our sport. That group was definitely lucky, lucky to get him.”

Perhaps Denny Hamlin’s relationship with Chase Elliott and Ross Chastain will be as cordial as his one with Brad Keselowski in the future. For now, it’s simply awesome to see the veteran driver give so much respect to another.