Watch Denny Hamlin get on Cooper Flagg's bumper before NASCAR Texas race

NASCAR Cup driver Denny Hamlin playfully interacted with NBA rookie Cooper Flagg, the honorary pace car driver, before the start of the NASCAR Texas race on May 3. Hamlin pulled out of his fourth-place starting position and next to Flagg, who was driving a 2026 Chevrolet Corvette. Hamlin then slowed, moved into the same lane Flagg was in, and got on his bumper before the green flag.

NASCAR Cup Series drivers are known for some good-natured ribbing at times when a well-known figure is in the pace car. Denny Hamlin trolling Cooper Flagg😂 pic. twitter.

com/2gEhKkizj2 — Cooper Flagg Muse (@CooperFMuse) May 3, 2026 Flagg, a former Duke star, is especially popular in Texas. He is a 6-foot-9 forward for the Dallas Mavericks and was recently named the NBA rookie of the week. Hamlin moved from fourth the first early in the Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Denny Hamlin trolls pace car driver Cooper Flagg at NASCAR Texas race