2021’s best Denny Hamlin moments for 11/11

Denny Hamlin is not only an immensely talented driver, but also one of the most talked-about drivers in the garage. He didn’t win the championship in 2021, but he had quite the eventful year. Today is 11/11, so let us recap his 11 most noteworthy moments from this season.

THE DOMINO’S PIZZA COMMERCIAL: Thanks to this funny and ubiquitous commercial featuring Denny Hamlin, “I LIKE YOUR PJ’S!” entered the advertisement-borne pop-culture slogan database well before “Fancy like Applebeeeeeee’s…” did.

BEING GENERALLY AWESOME AT SOCIAL MEDIA: Denny’s always been witty and outspoken, but the game was elevated this year. He had many memorable quips (“It rhymes with duck,” for instance) but this one here probably takes the cake. Yes, we are using the word “cake” on purpose here.

BUILDING A GIANT POINTS LEAD: Denny didn’t win until the playoffs began. OK, so, how did he earn a spot so easily? Points, points and more points. Strong, consistent runs throughout the regular season allowed the No. 11 team to amass a lead that peaked at a staggering 101 points in May. Yeah, we know Kyle Larson ate away at it like a termite on a rocking chair, but it was still impressive, OK?

TAYLOR HAMLIN’S DEBUT AS A REPORTER: Denny’s daughter Taylor was featured as an in-house correspondent during an iRacing event. Not surprisingly, she was fun and quite good at it. At this point, Denny should get her an agent -- this kid is going places. Though he was probably glad she was holding a microphone and not a TV remote.

APPEARING IN A POST MALONE VIDEO: Denny and Bubba Wallace had cameo appearances in the video for “Motley Crew” by Post Malone, AKA he of so many tattoos he actually rivals a NASCAR race car in terms of surface area covered with logos.

THE VERIZON 200 AT THE BRICKYARD: So there may have been some contact on a final restart, a slide through the grass, additional contact, a penalty assessed that was not heard, etc. etc., yada yada yada. No need to re-hash it. After the race, Denny made the long stroll to discuss the matter with Chase Briscoe. Denny and drivers named Chase just don’t seem to co-exist well. Chase Purdy -- if you’re reading this, leave Denny alone, man.

ADDING A SECOND CAR TO 23XI RACING IN 2022: And we should add, one of the best drivers in NASCAR behind the wheel. Kurt Busch joins Denny and Michael Jordan’s team next year in the No. 45 Toyota. What a monster signing for Denny. He’s a dad, he’ll get that joke.

OPENING THE PLAYOFFS WITH A WIN AT DARLINGTON: All those wondering if Denny would be able to win in 2021 were silenced at the Lady in Black, when Hamlin won the playoff-opening race. He managed to hold off a hard-charging Kyle Larson, who into the final turn, basically remembered that we won’t be using these race cars next year and sent it.

WINNING AT LAS VEGAS IN THE ROUND OF 12: They say you can’t put a price on peace of mind. But you can. It’s how ever much it cost to put this race car together so Denny could win, advance to the next round, and not have to worry about the diabolical gauntlet of Talladega and The Roval back-to-back. You can kick back, turn on some Enya and relax while your fellow competitors sweat bullets.

23XI’S FIRST WIN: Bubba Wallace’s gutsy move to the front with rain fast approaching gave Denny’s first-year team it’s very first win in the Cup Series. It was also Bubba Wallace’s first Cup Series win, as well as the first race won by a Black driver since 1963. We’ve basically lost track of upon how many levels this win was spectacular.

THE FALL MARTINSVILLE RACE: This race will go down in history as the moment Denny embraced the heel role. He reveled in it. It was magnificent. The crowd booed as he provided winner Alex Bowman with his next T-shirt slogan, but Denny didn’t care. He’s not afraid. He can get free bubble wrap from sponsor FedEx at any time and protect himself from anything you may throw at him.