Denny Hamlin hears boos from crowd ahead of NASCAR's Richmond race

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NASCAR fans greeted Denny Hamlin with a smattering of boos on Sunday as he was introduced before the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway in Virginia.

Hamlin was born in Florida but grew up in Chesterfield, Virginia – about 21 miles south of the track. But even near the town where he was raised, the No. 11 driver heard it from the crowd.

The consternation toward Hamlin stemmed from how he was able to get around Kyle Larson at Pocono last week. Hamlin ended up winning the race. Larson ended up in 14th while Hamlin took the heat for aggressive driving. Hamlin was accused of bumping Larson into the wall – an allegation he denied.

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Hamlin has offered no apologies for the move but instead pointed to NASCAR’s system to encourage aggressive driving. If there’s an issue, Hamlin suggested to start there.

"That is what it was geared to do – give us the sense of urgency to ramp up and that regular-season performance matters to get to the final four with a shot," he said Saturday. "The system is doing what it was designed to do."

Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota, waits on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on July 29, 2023, in Richmond, Virginia. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Hamlin said he’s changed since getting spun out while leading in the past.

"If you have one person willing to be aggressive and one person not, aggressive will win every time," he added.

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Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Mavis Tires & Brakes Toyota, looks on during