Former New York Yankees manager, Joe Girardi, revealed that he is a big fan of NASCAR, with Denny Hamlin being his favorite driver.
Girardi, known for being health-conscious, explained on Kevin Harvick’s “Happy Hour” podcast that he developed an interest in NASCAR during his tenure with the Yankees. Girardi played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1989 to 2003, primarily with the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees.
He won the World Series with the Yankees as their manager in 2009 before being let go in 2017. Subsequently, Girardi became the manager of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2020 but was fired mid-season in 2022. He is now an analyst for the Yankees on the YES Network.
Girardi’s fascination with NASCAR was ignited by Gene Monahan, the longtime Yankees trainer, who took him to his first race in Rockingham, North Carolina. Girardi recalled a memorable trip to the Daytona 500 with Monahan, where they disregarded conventional protocol to enjoy the race.
Monahan is currently employed by Hendrick Motorsports and maintains a controversial presence on Twitter.
During the podcast interview, Harvick also discussed baseball, expressing his interest in Major League Baseball’s efforts to shorten game duration. He sought Girardi’s perspective on whether this has led to increased player injuries.
While Harvick suggested a correlation, Girardi disagreed, noting that fewer games actually reduce the strain on players and potentially extend their careers. Girardi dismissed the notion that pitch clock rules are responsible for recent pitcher injuries.
Additionally, Harvick and Girardi conversed about the leadership abilities of Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge. Despite Harvick’s insightful discussions, his podcast has relatively few listeners and followers on Twitter as of April 11, 2024, with less than 5,000 followers.
