Over the years, NASCAR has had its fair share of memorable tributes, like Jeff Gordon’s tribute to Dale Sr. after equalling his record of 76 career wins. Denny Hamlin's recent tribute to the late Kyle Busch will be added to the list. However, the tribute did not come so easily as Hamlin revealed the hurdles that came along the way. 

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan in a thrilling manner as he overcame multiple race restarts, including a red flag. This marked his 63rd win and equalled the record of the late two-time champion Kyle Busch. To celebrate this milestone and honor Busch, the No. 11 driver designed a flag with the number 18 and Busch’s stylized number alongside his own stylized 1. 

However, the process of designing the flag was not as easy as it seems. During his media availability post-race, Hamlin explained the process he went through, along with the challenges he faced in executing the tribute. 

“It started Monday morning, I mean, at that, you know, right after the race, it was like, okay, it's something we probably ought to get on because we might win next week, right? So, um, I want to be prepared for that. And then, you know, I'm thinking, okay, well, how do I put the eight? I know them as the 18," he said.

“I don't know the right thing, right? And then this person owns this font. That person owns this trademark. And it's like, you know, we had to have, you know, some collaboration. And I appreciate RCR letting us use the stylized 8 with the Joe Gibbs Racing one, and it was just the happy balance that I felt good about when it all came out.”

Hamlin and Busch were teammates for 15 years at Joe Gibbs Racing. They began their tenure as teammates back in 2008, and it ended in 2022 when Busch moved to Richard Childress Racing the following season. The No. 11 driver now ranks 9th on the all-time wins list. 

History Repeats Itself as Denny Hamlin Wins Michigan

Last week in Nashville, the No. 11 started the race on pole but was black-flagged. As a result, he was sent to the back of the grid. However, despite this setback, he went on to win the race. 

Similarly, Hamlin started the race in pole position. But he had to repair the underbody and the diffuser on his car, and this work was deemed unauthorized by NASCAR. They handed him a penalty for the same, and he was sent to the back of the grid. 

He also spun during one of the race restarts. However, this did not stop the No. 11 driver from claiming his third win this season. He put up a strong performance during the stages.

Denny Hamlin won the race at the Michigan International Speedway by 11.1 seconds ahead of Erik Jones in second and Bubba Wallace in third. 

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Ankita Yadav