NASCAR Cup Series driver Zane Smith has admitted to feeling a 'rare' emotion towards fellow star Denny Hamlin.

Smith is fresh off the back of his best-ever result in the Daytona 500, finishing 6th in Sunday's Great American Race but having also been in the top two during the final lap.

Ahead of this weekend's action at Atlanta, Smith sat down with the media to discuss that and several other current affairs within the sport. One topic that arose was whether or not drivers ever feel sorry for their competitors, and whether Smith himself had ever felt that emotion towards one of his Cup Series rivals.

The 26-year-old revealed that while drivers are selfish, he did have great sympathy for Hamlin after the championship race in Phoenix last November, where he dominated the race and led with three laps to go, only to lose out after a late caution.

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Zane Smith felt bad for Denny Hamlin

“Yeah. I definitely feel like we’re all selfish, but I certainly felt bad for Denny Hamlin this year in the championship," Smith told Oval Insider and other media on a call.

"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.

"But, that’s racing. A lot of us, I feel like, go through a lot of ups and downs, and it’s always the one that never gives up [who] will ultimately win in the end.

"In that situation, that’s the first one that comes to mind for me.”

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NASCAR drivers rarely feel sympathy for rivals

Answering another question on the matter, Smith revealed that how he felt towards Hamlin on that occasion is a 'rare' emotion for drivers to have, and claimed that the Joe Gibbs Racing star is deserving of a title.

“It’s certainly rare, and it’s hard to have close friends in this industry because we’re all competing against each other every week," Smith explained.

"In that scenario where I’m not competing for a championship, and I don’t have a teammate that’s competing for it, you kind of see what unfolded at the end of the race, and you’re like, ‘Holy cow.’

"You kind of try to put yourself in his shoes, and it’s hard to fathom with what he’s accomplished, but you try your best to put yourself in his shoes, and that was painful for him, especially with just going back to everything that unfolded in his personal life throughout the offseason.

"I feel he deserved that, but that’s my opinion. It doesn’t matter. He’s had a lot of success in this sport, and I feel he should definitely have a championship, or multiple, and, unfortunately, things just haven’t gone his way, but that is literally the definition of racing.”

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