Denny Hamlin has strung together a highly respectable NASCAR career over the last decade. Hamlin has firmly established himself as one of the top drivers in the sport. With that success has come some special memories in victory lane. However, there is a situation after winning the NASCAR Overton 301 that he would like to forget.

Denny Hamlin’s successful NASCAR career

Since beginning his NASCAR career 15 years ago, Denny Hamlin has experienced plenty of success along the way.

Hamlin has 44 NASCAR Cup Series wins, 280 top-ten finishes, and 12 top-10 finishes in the series standings. He has consistently been one of the top drivers in the sport throughout much of his career. His resume certainly speaks for itself as he has stayed within title contention in all 12 of his full seasons.

Despite not having a single Cup Series championship, he has had many memorable moments. One of the more entertaining moments in his career came after winning the Overton 301, as it brought out his long-standing phobia.

Denny Hamlin’s kabourophobia revealed after winning the Overton 301

Denny Hamlin has experienced plenty of success throughout his NASCAR career, which has seen him win various trophies.

One of which still haunts him to this day as it brought forth his kabourophobia, fear of crabs and lobsters. His phobia was front and center after winning the Overton 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2017 as he was awarded a 44-pound lobster.

Following that personally frightening situation, Hamlin voiced that he wanted nothing to do with the lobster and had no plans to do anything with it. (H/T USA TODAY Sports)

“I’m not going to do anything with it. I’ve seen it and touched it for the last time. I have a lobster phobia. I don’t know why. I just don’t like them. I cannot eat dinner if someone beside me is eating lobster. I can’t look at it. So as far as I’m concerned, they need to put it back in the water and let it live.”

Hamlin was also quoted as to calling the 44-pound lobster a “big scorpion.” According to NASCAR.com, there is no desire on his behalf to be involved or near that type of animal again.

“I don’t know — it’s just a big scorpion in my mind. I try to stay away from them and, yeah, I’ve had some interesting moments with them for sure that I don’t care to recall or bring back up.”

Albeit Hamlin will take more wins, but if the prize is another lobster, he will choose another route to celebrate.

Continued racing success

Denny Hamlin’s phobia aside, it hasn’t hammered at all as he’s continued to find success on the NASCAR track.

Since then, he has captured 15 more Cup Series wins, including a pair of victories at the Daytona 500. Hamlin is also coming off back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, with seven wins alone in the 2020 season. These previous two campaigns represent a pair of his most successful campaigns as more than a third of his career Cup Series victories have come over that stretch.

Hamlin’s consecutive Daytona 500 wins also put him some exclusive company alongside Cale Yarborough, Sterling Martin, and Richard Petty as the only drivers to accomplish that feat.

The 40-year-old will look to carry over that momentum into the 2021 season that begins next month.