Denny Hamlin had to walk back his earlier comments that the young talent in the Spurs would make them win. He even went on social media to say that he was wrong. Hamlin congratulated the Knicks and admitted that they had outdone the Spurs.

Coming from someone who was rooting for the Spurs to win the championship, this was a big admission and a compliment to the Knicks. While speaking on the Action Detrimentals podcast, Hamlin gave his verdict on the win.

“It was deserving,” he said on the podcast on June 16.

The reaction came after Knicks fans had been pushing back against Hamlin's comments on why he'll never be a Knicks fan.

Addressing those fans, Hamlin jokingly said, “The fans can p*** off.”

Despite the playful jab, Hamlin made it clear that he respected what the Knicks had accomplished. It marked the first time the team had successfully won the NBA title since 1973.

“I’m happy for the team. I like the team. I like the guys on the team. Love their personalities,” before adding, “But it’s just these games, man. You just saw it coming every time in the third quarter, even when they were up 12 in the fourth. Like, you just saw it coming.”

However, Hamlin still held his ground, maintaining that the Spurs controlled much of the series despite the loss. When asked whether he believed the Spurs were the better team, he pointed out that they led 70% of the series.

"They just couldn't quite close it out,” the Joe Gibbs racer said.

During the podcast, Hamlin clearly poured his heart out for his favorite team, yet didn't hold back in congratulating the New York champions.

This trend of NASCAR greats finding a home in podcasting is proving to be a new media-liberating movement for many to speak their minds.

Retired NASCAR Drivers Are Launching Second Careers in Media

Retirement from the racetrack is often now becoming the start of a media career for NASCAR's biggest stars. Take, for example, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Dirty Mo Media and his flagship show, The Dale Jr. Download.

The exclusive distribution agreement he secured with SiriusXM helped the podcast surpass 100 million downloads. In fact, his YouTube channel has more than 450,000 subscribers and tens of millions of views.

Even beyond podcasts, Dale Jr.'s appearance in Prime Video's first season as a NASCAR broadcaster in 2025 was widely appreciated by fans.

Social media also frequently highlighted Earnhardt Jr., Adam Alexander, and Steve Letarte as one of the sport's strongest broadcast teams.

On the other end is also Kenny Wallace, whose channel now holds more than 550,000 subscribers and has generated more than 280 million lifetime views.

After retirement, even Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour is doing well throughout racing and American motorsports communities.

Such shows reveal how the newer generation of fans is shifting away from traditional media and liking a more hands-on approach. That, in turn, gives such retired stars unprecedented influence over the sport's narrative.

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Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit