Hamlin dedicates – Denny Hamlin won his 63rd NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, dedicating the victory to Kyle Busch after tying him for ninth on the all-time win list. Hamlin led late after starting from the rear following a penalty, swept past Spire Rac
BROOKLYN, Mich. — Denny Hamlin didn’t just take the checkered flag at Michigan International Speedway. He held a black No. 18 flag out the window as his No. 11 Toyota roared down the straightaway, honoring Kyle Busch, his late teammate, in a way only NASCAR can turn into a moment you remember.
Hamlin celebrated his 63rd career victory by tying Busch for ninth on the NASCAR Cup Series all-time win list. On his victory lap, he radioed “We love you, KB,” then walked the flag stand carrying his Busch tribute flag.
“Truthfully, I had to outlive him to tie his,” Hamlin said. “He was an amazing teammate. He taught me so much at tracks like this. I just can’t say enough.”
For all the emotion tied to Busch, the crowd’s mood in the front-stretch grandstands Sunday was loud and welcoming, with raucous cheers rather than the booing Hamlin had faced when he celebrated last year by taunting fans. This time, it was tribute first.
The win carried heavier weight beyond Michigan. Busch drove the No. 18 from 2008-22 for Joe Gibbs Racing, teaming with Hamlin for NASCAR-record 523 races. Busch’s death on May 21 rocked the NASCAR industry. which was already grieving over the offseason deaths of Greg Biffle and his family in a plane crash. Hamlin’s father also died in a Dec. 28 house fire.
Hamlin went further with his message after Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett also died last week, dedicating his third win this season to Busch and his family.
“The offseason, it was rough for me, and it was rough for the NASCAR family,” Hamlin said. “Just an unbelievable feeling to be able to strap in every week, and I don’t take it for granted, this opportunity that I’m in. I just love we’re making the best of it.”
The on-track path to victory included the same kind of hard swing that has defined his recent run. Like last week’s win at Nashville Superspeedway—when the Joe Gibbs Racing car started on the pole position but was penalized for jumping the start—Hamlin qualified first at Michigan but dropped to the back at the green flag because of a penalty for unapproved adjustments to his No. 11 Toyota.
Over 400 miles, he worked his way to the front. With 38 laps remaining, he found the decisive moment during a restart, going three-wide as he swept into first around Spire Racing teammates Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar, a home-state favourite.
Hamlin finished 11.110 seconds ahead of the field, marking his widest margin of victory in Cup and the largest win at Michigan since June 1991.
“This Joe Gibbs team just keeps giving me amazing race cars,” Hamlin said. “This Toyota was just amazing. And at the last run there, it just hammered down. It had a few good restarts, and then once we got to the lead, I was going to lay it out.”
Erik Jones, another Michigan native, took second after also starting from the rear for unapproved adjustments. Bubba Wallace finished third, followed by Kyle Larson and Hocevar, who notched his best Michigan finish.
“I don’t think anyone was going to contend with Denny at the end,” Larson said. “He was flying.”
The race didn’t stay smooth for long. With 51 laps remaining, officials stopped the event to repair a damaged SAFER barrier after a hard crash involving Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.
During a restart on the 148th lap, the drivers were running side by side for second when Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet bobbled and skidded up the track into Bell’s No. 20 Toyota. Bell’s car shot into the outside wall at the 2-mile oval, where speeds top 200 mph.
The impact with Bell’s Camry severely deformed the SAFER barrier—steel and foam designed to absorb energy in wrecks. A red flag appeared for 20 minutes while the damaged section was fixed. Both drivers climbed from their cars and walked to an ambulance for transport to the track’s infield care center.
After the race, Joe Gibbs said Bell had wrist and ankle injuries that would need to be evaluated this week. Elliott patted Bell on the shoulder and apologized for the wreck before they entered the ambulance.
“I’m fine; it was totally my fault,” Elliott said. “I feel really bad for Bell, just taking him out. I was trying to run on the bottom and make use of our fresh tires and at least get to second and hopefully stay side by side with him. I got in there and got free and thought I was going to spin and was committing to spin out. and as soon as I started to commit to spinning. it just hooked up and hooked a right. Unfortunately, it sent Christopher into the wall super hard, and then me shortly thereafter.
“Just racing really hard. I felt like that was kind of a turning point in the race. We needed to make something happen. I stepped over the line again and paid for it. … I just told him I’m sorry. Obviously, it was not on purpose.”
Not every storyline Sunday ended with relief. Connor Zilisch’s difficult rookie season in the Cup Series continued. as Trackhouse Racing’s driver crashed twice in the first eight laps and finished last in the 37-car field. He has finished outside the top 30 in the past three races and is still seeking his first top 10 of his rookie campaign.
“I was really loose, but it’s just unfortunate,” Zilisch said. “Another short race for us. We’ll go try and get them at Pocono next week.”
NASCAR’s lone trip this season to Pocono Raceway comes on June 14. Chase Briscoe won last year to earn his first victory with Joe Gibbs Racing.
MISRYOUM Sports News NASCAR Michigan International Speedway Denny Hamlin Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Erik Jones Bubba Wallace Christopher Bell Chase Elliott SAFER barrier Pocono Connor Zilisch