Denny Hamlin was booed after winning the HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday.
In the NASCAR community, a 50th victory is typically honored by the fans. Instead, after winning the HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday Denny Hamlin was met with jeers from the crowd.
Hamlin won his 50th race in a row on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit on Sunday while racing under caution. But few people were celebrating his extraordinary achievement.
On the contrary, Hamlin was booed by the spectators, many of whom were annoyed by Hamlin’s actions on the track. Kyle Larson was forced into a wall by the No. 11 car late in the race after it shoved him up the track in a corner.
The boos could be heard on the broadcast when Hamlin became the first to cross the finish line:
After the checkered flag was raised, the jeers continued to pour down. Many lingered to express their disapproval to Hamlin.
In another video, the jeers get louder as Hamlin exits his vehicle. And the audience might have turned it up even more if they had heard how he responded to some of the post-race questions.
The question of whether Larson had a right to be angry about the late-race action was put to Hamlin. The No. 11 driver practically claimed no responsibility for his on-track actions.
“Yeah, we’re friends. Yes, this makes things s* and awkward, but, whatever. He’s always right,” Larson said.
“All the buddies know, Denny’s always right. So, I’m sure he was in the right there, as well. But, it is what it is. I’m not gonna let it tarnish a friendship on the track, but I am pissed.
“I feel like I should be pissed.”
The next question was whether Larson should begin racing Hamlin differently going forward. He provided a fairly intriguing response.
“I think, at this point, I have to, right?” he said. “Like I said, I’ve never had to apologize to him about anything I’ve done on the racetrack.
“I can count four or five times where he’s had to reach out to me. … So, eventually, like he says, you gotta start racing people a certain way to get the respect back.”
Although Larson and Hamlin may still be buddies, they won’t likely interact for a few days.
