Denny Hamlin is not one to mince his words.
And his new podcast Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin will air on Dirty Mo Media on February 6th, which is owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., directly following the Clash at the LA Coliseum (a non-points event and first of the 2023 NASCAR season).
Which ultimately means, we’re gonna be getting even more unfiltered commentary on everything going on in the sport and beyond from Denny, along with co-host Jared Allen.
And in a new clip that’s been released from the forthcoming podcast, Denny did not hide his feelings on the return of racing legend Jimmie Johnson.
Jimmie announced last fall that he’d return to race in five Cup Series races this year, beginning with the season-opening Daytona 500 coming up in February (which he’s won twice, in 2006 and 2013).
The move fell in line with another announcement that he was joining as a minority owner and part-time driver for Petty GMS Motorsports.
And while Jimmie’s certainly not as young as he was when he first started out (he’s 47 now), Denny seems to think it’s the wrong move and he might end up “tainting” his legacy, which includes seven Cup Series championships, of which he’s tied with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for the most all-time.
Dirty Mo Media released a new clip a couple days ago which has been making tons of headlines, with Denny straight up admitting he “hates” that Jimmie is getting back behind the wheel of a Cup Series car:
“I hate it. I hate that he’s coming back. Just because as the guy that, you know, I just put on this pedestal like, unbeatable. Just super talented, like he was the guy.
And I always said I hate I raced in the Jimmie Johnson era, like damn it. I was so unfortunate. How many championships would I have if I didn’t have to race against him. I guess I don’t know what the motivation is for him because he’s got such a strong legacy and a strong resume.
I hate tainting what I’m going to think about him if he comes in and struggles, which is the most likely scenario.”
And while, sure, things have changed in the Cup Series since Jimmie’s prime, notably the new Next Gen cars (of which Denny also has strong opinions on), I have to think he’s not gonna just roll over and finish last every race, either.
Although I don’t know if I necessarily agree with Denny on all this, I do see his point, and he’s nothing if not honest, and I definitely appreciate that about him.
You can watch the full teaser clip here:
Stay tuned, because I know this is just the beginning of more from Denny… and Daytona is right around the corner, so we’ll get to watch these two go head-to-head and I can’t WAIT.
