The proliferation of ‘Horns Down’ has made it to NASCAR. At this weekend’s NASCAR race at the Texas Motor Speedway in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Ohio State Denny Hamlin flashed ‘Horns Down,’ but his day didn’t turn out like he’d have hoped.
An ardent Ohio State Buckeyes fan, Hamlin tried to troll Texas fans at the race with the ‘Horns Down’ gesture during driver introductions for the Wurth 400. Of course, defending national champion Ohio State knocked Texas out of the college football playoffs in the Cotton Bowl semifinal. The two programs meet again to open the 2025 season at the Horseshoe in Columbus on Aug. 30.
Denny Hamlin’s trolling hand gesture aimed at University of Texas fans at Texas Motor Speedway goes sideways on Lap 75 of Wurth 400. https://t.co/wMzzb0Ckoj
But it didn’t take long for Hamlin to get served some Texas karma. In lap 75, Hamlin’s car suffered an engine blowout that caused his car to burst into flames. Hamlin knew he tested fate.
“Texas got me back,” Hamlin said during his Actions Detrimental podcast. “That didn’t last long for me. Eventually, the karma caught up pretty quickly.”
The engine problem knocked Hamlin out of the race, who had a bad day overall. The Buckeyes fan also missed a pit stop under caution due to miscommunication on the radio, pitted a second time to pit only to get penalized for speeding. Then his car caught fire.
Pre-race: Denny Hamlin throws the horns down during driver intros at Texas Motor Speedway
Lap 75: The No. 11 car bursts into flames, ending his day https://t.co/txqanOCA4Ypic.twitter.com/KRnxW2DAv0
Hamlin might think twice before he decides to throw out ‘Horns Down’ again.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas Karma? NASCAR driver’s car catches fire soon after flashing ‘Horns Down’
Reporting by Trey Luerssen, Longhorns Wire / Longhorns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
