“We’re All Selfish, but I Certainly Felt Bad for Denny Hamlin”: Zane Smith on His Emotions Toward Competitors

Unlike most sports, where success can feel close to a 50-50 proposition, racing operates on razor-thin margins. That alone keeps every NASCAR driver on edge, even around teammates. Still, beneath the helmets, they are human. Zane Smith put that out in the open during a media session ahead of the second stop at Atlanta.

Asked whether drivers ever feel for a rival and if he had lived through such a moment, Smithdid not beat around the bush. He took Denny Hamlin as an example.

Advertisement

“Yeah. I definitely feel like we’re all selfish, but I certainly felt bad for Denny Hamlin this year in the championship,” Smith said per Speedway Media. “That’s painful, and that’s a long career he’s had with a lot of success and a lot of wins and in contention to win one.

“I forgot what it was, but he was like literally one lap to go with plenty enough of a lead to go win his first championship, and with everything going on in his life, I felt that one for him,” the Front Row Motorsports driver added.

That, in a nutshell, is racing. Drivers ride waves, and only the one who keeps the foot down comes out on top. Still, amid all of those competitive emotions, for Smith, that moment with Hamlin sits front and center.

Smith wore his heart on his sleeve at Daytona as well, shoving Chase Elliott forward despite the two not being teammates. On the final lap, Smith pushed the No. 9 near Riley Herbst, allowing Elliott to slip past the No. 38, which was backing Tyler Reddick. That single nudge nearly handed Elliott the win before a last-corner pileup turned the race on its head.

Advertisement

So while Smith admits that empathy does not grow on trees and real friendships are hard to come by when everyone is trying to beat each other week after week, he also knows there are moments when a driver pauses and walks a mile in someone else’s shoes. If he is not in the title fight and no teammate is either, he can step back and see the bigger picture.

Smith tried to put himself in Hamlin’s position, and the weight of it all was difficult to wrap his head around. Any driver can find themselves in a stretch where the results pile up, yet the championship continues to slip away. It has happened many times before. That is why Hamlin’s near-miss struck a chord with the FRM driver, especially considering everything that unfolded in the JGR driver’s life over the offseason.

Smith summed it up by saying Hamlin has accumulated wins and milestones and feels like someone who should have at least one championship, if not more. But sometimes racing deals a tough hand, and that, plain and simple, is what NASCAR is all about.

The post “We’re All Selfish, but I Certainly Felt Bad for Denny Hamlin”: Zane Smith on His Emotions Toward Competitors appeared first on The SportsRush.