Denny Hamlin secures Michigan NASCAR victory to tie late Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin secured an emotional NASCAR Cup Series victory at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, tying his late teammate Kyle Busch on the all-time wins list.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver dominated the final stages of the 400-mile event to claim the 63rd victory of his illustrious career.
Waving a black flag bearing the number 18 out of his window, the veteran performed a poignant burnout down the straightaway to honour his former colleague.
An emotional tribute to a fallen teammate
Busch, who drove alongside the race winner for a record 523 races, tragically passed away last month.
The wider motorsport community has endured a devastating period, also grieving the recent losses of Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett and former driver Greg Biffle.
“Truthfully, I had to outlive him to tie him. He was an amazing teammate. He taught me so much at tracks like this. I just can’t say enough.”
Denny Hamlin
Surging from the back of the grid
Despite qualifying on pole position, Hamlin was forced to start from the rear of the field following a penalty for unapproved adjustments to his Toyota.
He patiently navigated through the pack, eventually seizing control with a daring three-wide pass on a restart with just 38 laps remaining.
Sweeping past Spire Racing duo Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar, the number 11 car never looked back.
He crossed the finish line 11.110 seconds ahead of the competition, marking the largest margin of victory at the Brooklyn circuit since June 1991.
“This Joe Gibbs team just keeps giving me amazing race cars. And at the last run there, it just hammered down.”
Denny Hamlin
Back-to-back triumphs
The commanding performance secures a second consecutive triumph for Hamlin, following a similar penalty-defying win at Nashville Superspeedway last week.
Fellow Michigan native Erik Jones claimed the runner-up spot after also overcoming a pre-race grid penalty.
“I don’t think anyone was going to contend with Denny at the end. He was flying.”
Kyle Larson
Michigan race top five
- 1st: Denny Hamlin
- 2nd: Erik Jones
- 3rd: Bubba Wallace
- 4th: Kyle Larson
- 5th: Carson Hocevar
