Denny Hamlin complies with ridiculous NASCAR fan request at Texas

Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin made one NASCAR fan's day after he complied with their bizarre request for an unusual signature before the Wurth 400 began.

By Anthony Wood

NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400

Denny Hamlin started eighth at Texas Motor Speedway (Image: Getty)

An athlete having signed an autograph for a fan may not seem out of the ordinary, but ahead of Sunday's Wurth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, one fan requested a particularly unique piece of penmanship from NASCAR Cup Series driver and team co-owner, Denny Hamlin.

Captured by Fox Sports TV crews, the 44-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver was spotted signing a young fan's forehead on the pit lane. Naturally, screenshots of this quickly spread onto social media, with fans quick to point out the bizarre incident's similarity to a moment in the popular Will Ferrell movie, 'Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.'

"'Talladega Nights' is a documentary," one user wrote, while another joked that the moment gave "Shades of Ricky Bobby."

But this wasn't Hamlin's only viral moment before the green flag fell, the 23XI Racing co-owner prompting plenty of boos from the vast crowd at TMS during the driver presentation after he pulled out the "Horns Down" gesture, poking fun at Texas Longhorns' "Hook 'Em Horns" hand gesture.

While not a Longhorns alum, Hamlin has previously admitted to having a soft spot for the Ohio State Buckeyes, though, thanks to his friends. "I never went to college so no allegiance to any other schools. Ive got 2 friends who are absolute lunatic fanatics of OSU," he tweeted. "Went to a game to watch them be fans and I was wildly entertained. Friends ride with OSU, so I ride with them."

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Once the green flag fell, Hamlin's afternoon quickly fell apart when Noah Gragson spun early in Stage One, prompting the first caution. Unfortunately for Hamlin, while his crew chief, Chris Gayle, called out the codeword "Cowboys," the 56-time race winner seemingly couldn't hear the command over other talk in the background, meaning he missed the opportunity to follow the majority of the field onto the pit lane.

After another trip around the 1.5-mile circuit behind the safety car, Hamlin dipped into the pit lane where, to rub salt into their wounds, he was handed a speeding penalty as he joined the very back of the pack.

"You can’t call a team that’s the same f------ name as another….Never mind," Hamlin was heard telling Gayle, according to Steven Taranto. "You boys were talking over each other, and I heard ‘Cowboys,’ and obviously I looked at my card."

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If this wasn't already bad enough, while working his way back through the field, Hamlin's ride began bellowing smoke on lap 75 as he immediately lost power. The Toyota suddenly burst into flames, causing the No. 11 to slide sideways as Hamlin wrestled his car back under control, eventually bringing it to a halt before the AMR Safety Crew rushed over to extinguish the flames.

After being released from the infield care center unharmed, Hamlin told Fox Sports that there had not been any major warning signs prior to the fire. "It missed for like three quarters of the lap before. But other than that, no, nothing. They'll take it back and take a look at it."

Hamlin - who is embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR - saw his strange afternoon under the sun in Texas bring to an end his run of top 25 finishes, dating all the way back to the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in August.

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