Clinching his 60th NASCAR Cup Series career win appears to have stirred some sentimentality within Denny Hamlin, with the 44-year-old having decided to take a trip down memory lane.
Following his landmark win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which saw Hamlin tie Kevin Harvick as the 10th winningest driver of all-time, he later took to social media where he reshared a link to footage from the closing stages and subsequent celebrations following his 2006 Budweiser Shootout victory at Daytona.
Hamlin’s first-ever win in the Cup Series and the first race of his rookie season with Joe Gibbs Racing, rewatching the footage stirred memories of former Cup Series champion turned announcer Benny Parsons, who sadly died in 2007, within the 2025 championship hopeful.
After the checkered flag fell, with Hamlin beating Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to victory lane, Parsons, who was working for TNT at the time, recalled how an unlikely encounter years prior saved Hamlin’s career amidst financial issues.
“Denny and his father were standing in the signing line at a short track. It was their last race because they were out of money,” Parsons said, following an interview with Hamlin’s dad, Dennis.
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“It was a late model race. They were out of money. And someone overheard them talking about it being their last race. And he said, ‘How much would it cost for you to go to the next race? Because I’m going there, and if I win, my car wins, I want to know I beat the best. So you call me on Tuesday and tell me how much money it will cost for you to go.’ Jim Dean was the guy’s name.
“Well, Monday, Jim Dean and his driver had a falling out. So when Denny called him on Tuesday, Jim Dean said, ‘How about driving my car?’ They went 27 of 35 the next year, which got the attention of everyone. And that’s why Denny Hamlin is here today. He was done. He and his dad were done. Last race.”
Upon resharing the footage on social media, Hamlin added the caption: “BP knew the story. Off the cuff. I miss BP.”
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This sentiment was clearly mirrored by fellow NASCAR fans, including driver Corey LaJoie, who commented: “Yep, Benny was the best.”
Meanwhile, one fan wrote: “I never really understood how good BP was until I started watching older races that he called. He was so great.”
A second added: “BP was a legend. Didn’t get nearly enough credit for how good he was in the booth and for the sport.”
As another said: “Thanks for sharing that clip. As a kid watching NASCAR in the late 80’s through mid 90’s, I thought BP was the voice of NASCAR!”
Hamlin’s tribute also caught the attention of Parsons’ son, Kevin, who responded by saying: “Thanks Denny. And thanks to everyone else for the nice comments. I can say with certainty that there has never been a bigger fan in the booth. There may have been in the past or currently in the booth as big a fan, but not bigger. He absolutely LOVED stock car racing.”