Deep in Wolverine country at Michigan International Speedway, Denny Hamlin didn’t just win, he provoked. He riled up the home crowd letter by letter with a bold “O-H-I-O” chant in victory lane.
During the recent “Actions Detrimental” podcast, the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) veteran admitted the move wasn’t spontaneous. He revealed that he had it planned all along, fully embracing his role as NASCAR’s antagonist.
Denny Hamlin Reveals Pre-Planned Victory Lane Antics
Hamlin has been weaving his Ohio State Buckeyes allegiance right into his NASCAR Cup Series storylines since last year, and he hasn’t been subtle about it either. First, the JGR ace waved an “11 against the World” flag out — homage to the Buckeyes’ championship banner, “Ohio Against the World” — at Martinsville Speedway, in Virginia Cavaliers territory.
And right after Sunday’s Michigan triumph, the 44-year-old cut short his burnout and broke into an “O-H-I-O” chant in the victory lane, right before a booing crowd. For the longtime Buckeyes fan, it was a moment of pure satisfaction.
The driver, reflecting on it later, shared how the idea came together. Before Hamlin laid out the incident, his co-host, Jared Allen, noted, “You texted Travis in the group chat saying you were going to hit the Ohio State celebration after you won.”
Setting the record straight, Hamlin reiterated what had actually happened, “No … Charlie said it: ‘You got to him with the OH,’ and I said, ‘I will after I win.'”
Following the win, during the post-race media briefing, Hamlin stated, “My friend Travis, he sent me a group text, it was the guys that we went to the [Ohio State] games with last year. I told him, ‘I’m gonna win today for you, Trav.’ And then the other friend said, ‘Oh, feeling pretty good about your car, huh?’
“I was like, it was more just … I took a picture with my friends who had the ‘11 Against the World,’ they had the bus in [Turns] 3 and 4. I sent it to the group chat of the guys.”
Denny Hamlin says the O-H-I-O he did to taunt the Michigan crowd was just for his producer Travis & his friends he saw Ohio State’s natty run with. But no hard feelings towards Michigan on Denny’s end.
“I wasn’t smart enough to go to any college, so what do I care?”
Hamlin… pic.twitter.com/Zf2CoeURjM
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) June 9, 2025
He added, “He was like, ‘Man, it’d feel good if you won, with that School Up North [Michigan], like, right in their backyard.’ I said, ‘Well, I’m gonna do it for you.’ So, I did it just for my buddy Trav.”
With the win, Hamlin tightened the championship race, extending his points lead to third in the standings and cutting William Byron’s lead down to just 82.