Denny Hamlin wins at Michigan

Denny Hamlin received no boos following his victory burnout at Michigan International Speedway.

With a black No. 18 flag in hand, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver celebrated his 63rd career victory by burning the tires of his No. 11 Toyota along the straightaway in tribute to Kyle Busch, his late teammate, whom he equaled for ninth place on the all-time win list in the NASCAR Cup Series.

"Honestly, I had to outlast him to match his record," said Hamlin, who communicated, "We love you, KB" over the radio during his victory lap. "He was an incredible teammate. He taught me so much at tracks like this. I can't express enough gratitude."

This marked Hamlin's second consecutive victory and his second straight win at Michigan, where he had previously celebrated by playfully responding to fans who booed him.

However, this time, there were only enthusiastic cheers from the frontstretch grandstands as Hamlin jogged to the flag stand to retrieve the checkered flag while still holding his Busch tribute flag.

Busch drove the No. 18 from 2008 to 2022 for Gibbs, partnering with Hamlin for a NASCAR-record 523 races. Busch's passing on May 21 deeply affected the NASCAR community, which was already mourning the offseason losses of Greg Biffle and his family in a plane crash. Hamlin's father also passed away in a house fire on December 28.

Noting the recent passing of Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett, Hamlin dedicated his third win of the season to Busch and his family.

"The offseason was challenging for me and the NASCAR family," Hamlin said. "It's an incredible feeling to compete every week, and I don't take for granted the opportunity I have. I'm grateful we're making the most of it."

Similar to his previous win at Nashville Superspeedway, where the Joe Gibbs Racing car started in pole position but was penalized for jumping the start, Hamlin qualified first at Michigan but fell to the back at the green flag due to a penalty for unapproved adjustments to his No. 11 Toyota.

Hamlin methodically advanced to the front over 400 miles. He secured the lead with a three-wide pass during a restart with 38 laps remaining, overtaking Spire Racing teammates Daniel Suarez and Carson Hocevar, a local favorite.

Hamlin won by 11.110 seconds, marking his largest margin of victory in the Cup series and the most significant win at Michigan since June 1991.

"This Joe Gibbs team consistently provides me with exceptional race cars," Hamlin said. "This Toyota was outstanding. During the final run, it performed exceptionally well. We had a few strong restarts, and once we took the lead, I was determined to maintain it."

Erik Jones, another Michigan native, finished second after also starting from the rear due to unapproved adjustments. Bubba Wallace achieved a season-best third place, followed by Kyle Larson and Hocevar, who recorded his best finish at Michigan.