Denny Hamlin welcomed by massive boos from Martinsville crowd during intros

Well, the NASCAR fans at Martinsville have spoken a week after Denny Hamlin got away with jumping the restart at Richmond. Hamlin was showered in boos as he was introduced in pre-race ceremonies.

Denny Hamlin is probably going to hear a lot more boos now. That Richmond finish set off a week of discussion and debate. Hamlin himself had to talk about it two or three different times this week.

One thing is for certain, that finish did not make him any new fans. At least, not nearly as many fans as it did new haters. Multiple reporters talked about the boos Hamlin received during his intro.

Huge boos for Denny Hamlin in driver introductions at Martinsville. #NASCAR

— Chris Knight (@Knighter01) April 7, 2024

Martinsville is one of Denny Hamlin’s home tracks. He won last week at the other one, Richmond. Now he is embracing more boos than ever. This is a fun joke from Bob Pockrass, and sounds like something Hamlin would say.

So many boos for Denny Hamlin at intros, I thought maybe he said “I wrecked your favorite driver” before he came out. (sarcasm on Hamlin saying anything but not the boos).

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 7, 2024

Martinsville is going to be another opportunity for Denny Hamlin to win a race. He is very good at Martinsville and short tracks in general. If you include the Busch Light Clash, Hamlin has won all of the short track races this season. Bristol and Richmond are the other two.

Hamlin is a polarizing figure. Fans love to hate him and it makes for a fun and interesting dynamic. When you aren’t popular but you win races, that’s a mix for great drama in sports. It doesn’t appear Hamlin will be changing from his heel position any time soon.

Denny Hamlin hopes to play spoiler again

One thing Denny Hamlin loves to do is sit and wait. He has mastered the art of patience in the race car. He lets runs come to him, he doesn’t burn his stuff up too soon. That has a lot to do with his old short track background and how he handles his car.

On superspeedways, intermediates, short tracks – it doesn’t really matter. If he knows he has a fast car, Hamlin will lay back and do just what he has to do before making a big move. It has led him to win 53 Cup Series races.

Hamlin knows he just has to do things his own way. That is what has brought him so much success in his career. Why change that just so you don’t get booed by the fans at the track?

Denny Hamlin will start today’s race in the top-10. From there he will try to get his setup adjusted to the point he can move up and make a run for the lead. Caution flags will play a factor in today’s race and could change the whole afternoon depending on where they fall.