Denny Hamlin welcomed with massive boos from NASCAR fans during Talladega driver intros

During driver intros at Talladega, Denny Hamlin was met with a wall of boos from the crowd of NASCAR faithful in the stands. Hamlin is usually among the drivers who are met with jeers and boos when they show up to races. Talladega really brought it.

Talladega is the biggest and the baddest. So, the fans are the biggest and baddest, too. They let Denny Hamlin hear how they felt about him when he walked onto the stage today.

Hamlin, locked into Phoenix after winning last week at Las Vegas, appears to have garnered no new support with his emotional post-race celebration. You know what? Good. I’m sure that’s how he likes it. Jeff Gluck of The Athletic captured the rocous reaction from the crowd.

Fans at Talladega greet Denny Hamlin. pic.twitter.com/OFbcXniWIE

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 19, 2025

This might be the most calm, cool, and collected Talladega race weekend of Denny Hamlin’s career. He isn’t worried about wrecking early or anything like that. What he is worried about is what he is going to do in two weeks at Phoenix.

Being locked into the Championship 4 right now is a luxury. Everyone else is worried about what can and will happen in the race today. Drivers above the cutline, they want to hold on and keep their points cushion. Everyone below the cutline, is hoping for other playoff drivers to have issues so they can take advantage.

Denny Hamlin has won 60 races in his career. This year alone, he has won six times. 10% of his career wins have happened in 2025. With how little pressure he has on his shoulders, can he rise to the occasion and potentially steal the win and a ticket to Phoenix from another playoff driver?

Can Denny Hamlin play defense at Talladega?

While a win wouldn’t do much for Denny Hamlin today besides add another one to his career record, it can do a lot in two weeks. Should Hamlin win this race, he would be pushing another playoff driver out of contention and take away that automatic spot in Phoenix.

Hamlin used to be one of the best on drafting tracks. The Next Gen era has given him some fits the last few years. He isn’t able to do what he did in the previous car, the car he won three Daytona 500s with.

There is so much that can go on today at Talladega. Drivers are racing for all kinds of different reasons. Some want their first win of the season, or perhaps their career. Others are racing for a championship. Some are out for a bonus check for getting a win. So many desires and agendas going on today.

Look, Denny Hamlin doesn’t have to win, but it would frustrate a lot of NASCAR fans if he did it today at Talladega. It’s going to be a long afternoon in Alabama.