Denny Hamlin celebrated a dominant Michigan Cup Series win by raising a Kyle Busch tribute flag after tying Busch on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list at 63 career victories.
On Sunday, Denny Hamlin didn’t just win at Michigan—he made sure the moment carried weight.
The driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing car stormed to victory at Michigan in the Cup Series with what he and everyone else could see was the most dominant car on the day. He crossed the line and kept moving forward. but even before the checkered flag fully settled. Hamlin was already showing love for a teammate and sport icon who was no longer here to celebrate.
Hamlin lifted a Busch tribute flag after the win, telling the world in a simple message, “We love you, KB.” The tribute came just days after NASCAR lost Kyle Busch on May 21, 2026. Busch had been hospitalized earlier, only for his illness to progress rapidly.
It was the kind of timing that hits harder than the numbers. By winning at Michigan, Hamlin tied Busch with 63 career NASCAR Cup Series wins, moving him onto the all-time wins list where Busch had owned the spot before his passing. With 63 victories, Hamlin now sits tied at 9th all-time in Cup wins.
Busch had also tasted success at Michigan in the Cup Series before—his last win there came in 2011. At this track in Busch’s NASCAR career, he recorded four total wins, including two wins at the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and one win in the Truck Series.
Hamlin’s tribute wasn’t something thrown together after tragedy struck. He told Jeff Gluck of The Athletic that he had been planning the gesture since last Monday. The plan involved collaborating with Busch’s final team. Richard Childress Racing. to borrow the font for the 8 car Busch drove during the NASCAR All-Star Race—an event Hamlin himself won.
For Sunday’s celebration, Hamlin combined the RCR 8 with the Joe Gibbs Racing 1 to honor Busch’s Cup Series run. Busch’s ascent in NASCAR’s top division truly took hold after he joined JGR in 2008, and Hamlin made sure the celebration reflected that partnership as well as the greatness it produced.
Busch’s legacy in the Cup Series is cemented by two NASCAR Cup Series championships—two more than Hamlin has. Hamlin has come close to winning a Cup many times, but his pursuit has kept rolling, and Sunday’s result kept that drive in motion rather than letting it stop.
With the Michigan win, Hamlin also shifted the spotlight inside the current standings. The driver of the No. 11 JGR vehicle is in second place in the Cup Series standings behind Tyler Reddick.
The day, for all its race-day dominance and championship math, became something else the moment Hamlin raised that Busch tribute flag. In a sport built on speed and timing, it was a reminder that some victories arrive with a very human kind of remembrance built into them.
Denny Hamlin Kyle Busch NASCAR Michigan Craftsman Truck Series Joe Gibbs Racing Richard Childress Racing Tyler Reddick NASCAR Cup Series wins tribute flag
That’s wild… 63 wins is a lot.
I saw the headline and thought they were talking about some other Kyle Busch? But yeah, that tribute flag thing is kinda sweet. Still, I can’t believe he’s really gone after that hospital stuff.
Wait so Hamlin tied Busch at 63 wins but also moved onto the all-time list like Busch was “owned the spot”?? I’m confused how that works if the guy died. Like is the list just frozen now? Either way I’m sad about KB, Michigan will feel different.
Planning the tribute since last Monday sounds nice but then NASCAR loses him like days later and everyone’s like ‘most dominant car on the day’ like that fixes anything. Also Michigan Cup Series, then they mention O’Reilly and Trucks, so I’m like… does it all count the same? Either way, shoutout Hamlin for saluting him, but this just feels so fast.