EDITORS' PICK

He might have not won a Cup Series title so far in his career but Denny Hamlin is one of the most popular drivers in NASCAR today. Well, infamous would perhaps be a better way to put it considering how loud the boos are whenever he walks out on track. Hamlin drives the #11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series and is the owner of the 23XI Racing team alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan.

Denny Hamlin made his debut in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2005 as a part-time driver for Joe Gibbs Racing. His first ever race was at the Kansas Speedway and he did not impress a lot of people with his P32 finish. However, his career has turned out to be one that a lot of drivers would want to have as he has earned countless race victories and has also been named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.

Denny Hamlin Net Worth 2024

As he is one of the veterans in the Cup Series today driving for one of the biggest teams, Denny Hamlin is one of the highest-paid drivers in the competition today. He also makes a fair sum from being a co-owner of 23XI Racing and through his sponsorships. From his on-track and off-track successes, Hamlin has managed to build a net worth of approximately $65 million.

Denny Hamlin has had FedEx as his primary sponsor since he started racing in the Cup Series. Joe Gibbs Racing was also able to bring in the beverage giants Coca-Cola and Mavis Tyres & Brakes.

Denny Hamlin’s Early Life

Denny Hamlin was born to Dennis Hamlin and Mary Lou Clark on November 18, 1980, at the St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa, Florida. The family decided to move to Virginia when he was only 2 years old. He was educated at Manchester High School in Chesterfield County, Virginia.

At the age of seven, Denny Hamlin made his go-kart debut and went on to win his first race. Before Joe Gibbs Racing took notice of him in 2004, he made rapid progress at the local tracks in Richmond, Virginia, dominating the Late Model Stock Cars, Grand Stocks, and Mini Stocks. He was signed to a driver development contract by JGR in 2004 and he took part in 5 Truck Series races that year before appearing in the Cup in 2005.

Denny Hamlin family (update)

Denny Hamlin is the youngest child of Dennis Hamlin and Mary Lou Clark. The family might not have been the most financially stable one but Denny's parents' struggles to get him going in motorsports have definitely paid dividends.

The motorsports veteran has two daughters, Taylor James Hamlin (born January 20, 2013) and Molly Gold Hamlin (born August 15, 2017) with Jordan Fish. Denny and Jordan are not married and over the years, they have shared a rather complex relationship. While the couple had broken up in 2021, there were rumors of reconciliation doing the rounds.

The two were spotted together at the 2023 NASCAR Awards Banquet and Hamlin even spent Jordan Fish's birthday together in 2023.

Denny Hamlin: Stats and Championships 

Denny Hamlin is yet to win a championship in NASCAR but he has amassed countless race victories over the course of his long and illustrious career. He has won the Daytona 500 three times, the Cook Out Southern 500 three times, the Coca-Cola 600 once and the All-Star Race once among others. The JGR star has taken part in 650 races so far in the Cup Series and won 51 times with 350 top-10 finishes ahead of the 2024 season.

His 50th race win the the Cup Series came at the 2023 HighPoint.com 400 in Pocono after starting from P8. He didn't win any other stage in the race or lead the most laps but his victory earned him 55 points.

Denny Hamlin’s team with Michael Jordan

Denny Hamlin is not just a full-time driver in the Cup Series. He is the co-owner of 23XI Racing with NBA legend Michael Jordan. Jordan and Denny announced on September 21, 2020, that they would be forming a Cup team to start competition in 2021, with Jordan holding the majority ownership and Hamlin the minority. The team currently fields two full-time drivers, Bubba Wallace in the #23 and Tyler Reddick in the #45.

Bubba Wallace was the first driver they signed after buying a guaranteed starting spot in every 2021 race after purchasing a charter from Germain Racing. As a team owner, Hamlin is a fan of NASCAR's charter system as he believes it to be a lifeline for owners.

The name, 23XI, is an amalgamation of Jordan's iconic jersey number (23) and the JGR car number that Hamlin drives (11). The team has a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Denny Hamlin and his controversial 'Family Guy' tweet

Hamlin has always been surrounded with controversy but there have been moments when he has arguably taken things a tad too far. One such moment was when he posted a Family Guy meme about Kyle Larson that was cause for outrage among a lot of people.

The JGR man tweeted it after Larson's ambitious move at Talladega in the 2022 Cup Series went wrong and he ended up wrecking. The video Hamlin posted was seen as offensive Asian stereotyping, given Kyle Larson was half-Japanese.

After the backlash, Denny Hamlin eventually took down the tweet after a lot of backlash and apologized for his actions on social media. "I took down a post I made earlier today after reading some of the comments. It was a poor choice of memes and I saw how it was offensive. It came across totally wrong. I apologize," he wrote. However, NASCAR still decided to send him to sensitivity training as a result.

Denny Hamlin and his relationship with Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin might have been teammates but the two were never really fond of one another. Both drivers were aggressive and outspoken and that often turns out to be a recipe for disaster. When they were at Joe Gibbs Racing, the two raced each other on track on multiple occasions and things did not always end well. As Rowdy made the jump to Richard Childress Racing neither of them had to pretend to be nice to the other in public since they weren't teammates anymore.

Early on in the 2023 season, Kyle Busch said that there was a lack of respect among drivers in the NASCAR garage, something that wasn't the case back in the day. He did not take any names but the whole conversation was in light of Denny Hamlin intentionally wrecking Ross Chastain in the first Phoenix race of the year. "We have completely lost any sense of respect in the garage between the drivers at all. That’s where the problem lies. Nobody gives two ***** about anybody else. It’s just a problem where everybody takes advantage of everybody as much as they can. We’re all selfish, granted. But there was an etiquette that once did live here," Busch said.

Kyle Busch did not leave Joe Gibbs Racing on the best of terms and while some may speculate that Denny Hamlin may have one of the reasons, there were a lot more pressing matters. Sponsorship and performance were certainly a lot higher on that list than his teammate.

Denny Hamlin Embraces his “Villain” Crown

Denny Hamlin has been branded as the new villain of NASCAR and he has embraced that title with open arms. One of the people who he had some beef with in the 2023 season is Kyle Larson. The two raced hard in the final lap of the first Kansas race of the 2023 season for the lead. With just one turn remaining, Hamlin made slight contact with Larson which nudged him into the wall. Thankfully, the HMS man was able to maintain his composure but Hamlin had passed him for the lead by then and he won the race.

The two drivers had a tense moment in Pocono, however. When the race restarted with less than 10 laps remaining. The two were battling for the lead and Hamlin pushed Larson up the track and into the wall. After the race, the HMS driver expressed his dissatisfaction with his JGR counterpart with a seething tirade.

“I’ve been cost a lot of good finishes by him throughout my career, and I know he says I race a certain way, but I don’t think I’ve ever had to apologize to him about anything. So, not that I’m sure he’s going to say sorry after this, but it is what it is," he said. Turns out the HMS man was frustrated with both his racing and how Hamlin is on the Actions Detrimental podcast.

Being booed everywhere he goes and branded as NASCAR's villain may be unnerving to some people but Denny Hamlin has embraced the dark side. “I think there was a time to uh reel that back in but I just think that there’s no going back at this point," he had said about the matter.

Denny Hamlin’s plans for retirement

Denny Hamlin is 43-years-old. A lot of people may suggest retirement is on the horizon for the JGR man but given Hamlin's attitude, he has shown zero signs of even thinking about hanging up his boots. The #11 driver signed a multi-year deal with Joe Gibbs which will start from the 2024 season. It is safe to say that 'NASCAR's villain' is here to stay for a few more years. After all, his hunger for winning the Cup Series is yet to be satisfied.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pr%2FSnqWtoZGhubq%2Fz6ipratemLyue9OanmiclaO7unnHmqSloZ5k