10 Questions With ... Denny Hamlin

Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin took a break on his way to Wednesday's Gillete Prelude to the Dream charity race (HBO pay-per-view) to chat with FanHouse about a few things you may not know about the Virginia driver.

1) If Denny Hamlin wasn't a Sprint Cup driver, he'd be...

"I'd be working on trailers at Chesterfield Trailer & Hitch in Richmond (Va.). It was a family business that we had."

2) Tell me, what's the one trophy you want to have?

"For me, it'd be this weekend at Richmond. That's just such a big race for me personally because I have all of my family and friends there."

3) You'd had some troubles there lately after leading a lot. Does that leave you with more motivation to win?

"It motivates you for sure. I definitely haven't forgot about this year (in May) when we led over 200 laps and had a lug nut fall off on the last pit stop."

4) Have you ever wanted to try other racing divisions?

"At times, you know, you kind of get a bug. But I love what I'm doing because NASCAR racing is the best around. I'm a racer though so I'll try anything. I really think that I'm in the most competitive racing series there is right now."

5) Last week Clint Bowyer told us he chose "C.C Rider" as his intro music in homage of Elvis. Why did you go with "It's My Time" by Fabulous?

"I picked that song because the lyrics of it make it a good pump up song. It's almost like getting ready to go in a boxing ring."

6) Do you like to throw on the headphones before a race to get yourself amped up?

"Rarely. I spend most of my time before a race just relaxing, actually. I don't do anything other than sit back and watch some TV for my pre-race routine.

7) Drivers often talk about a moment in their careers when they final realize they've made it. What was your "Welcome to NASCAR" moment, so to speak?

"Probably my first race at Texas. I think that was my fourth or fifth race in the FedEx car and I passed Jeff Gordon on the track. That was certainly my first bit of NASCAR reality."

8) If you're having dinner from anywhere in the world tonight, where's it coming from?

"I'd have my mom's homemade spaghetti."

9) If Denny Hamlin ran NASCAR, he would...

"Well, probably shorter races. Some of them are just too long and I think you get the best excitement when we run those shorter events."

10) Talk about your dirt experience. How nice would it be to beat Tony Stewart at his own game at Eldora during the Prelude?

"It's definitely going to be tough to beat Tony. He's got a ton of laps around there, so it's going to be hard obviously to beat him. I've got a good car heading there but I've only raced there three times now, so I definitely don't have as much experience as those guys. I'm definitely looking forward to heading back."

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-09-2009 @ 3:52PM

sdh4194 said...

i wish they had asked denny about the time he crashed 2 waltrip cars out...

9-09-2009 @ 6:40PM

kenneth said...

I am finally beginning to have some respect for Hamlin. Early on, though, I thought he was just an uppity, smart-mouthed kid. For example, he insulted Mark Martin, saying something to the effect that "the old man can't expect me to move over an let him pass, just because he has been an established star for so long." But, lately, his talent is showing, with the Gibbs organization behind him. I still like Martin better, though.

9-09-2009 @ 10:34PM

AlwaysPerfectCS said...

I thought for sue this was Tony Stewart ;) but I love 'im anyway.

9-10-2009 @ 2:48AM

anzajoe said...

DANNY DAMLIN was a cachy wise punk type in hhis first few cup seasons but in the last couple years i noticed major improvements on this kid, either on the speedways or off racing time, unlikely THE KYLIE BUSH IRRITABLE, MISERABLE SPECIES.HE has been acting pretty professional and sincere even when events turn south onthe tracks.
I have been thinking of adding him to my preferite drivers collection SINCE I DOUBT THE KYLIE WILL EVER MAKE BACK IN. nzcr14
works for me...

9-14-2009 @ 9:10PM

tileman707 said...

Denny Hamlin is a class act. Things you don´t hear about him...
In 2006 he sponsored a contest for designing a racing helmet that he would wear at Infinion Raceway in Sonoma, CA. The contest was for the kids at Children´s Hospital. My 8 year old grandson was battling leukemia and his design was selected. Little Kurtis was invited to the race to present Denny with the helmet. Denny gave him some autographed materials and had his photo taken with him. When Kurtis passed away in 2007, Denny signed the helmet and gave it to Kurtis´other grandfather.