NASCAR
Denny Hamlin Wins Daytona 500 in Joe Gibbs Racing 1-2-3 Sweep
Only a month after the untimely passing of Joe Gibbs Racing president JD Gibbs, 3 of their Toyota Camrys took the top 3 spots in the Daytona 500. This JGR 1-2-3 sweep was led by Denny Hamlin, who was discovered by the late JD. This win also breaks a long losing streak for Hamlin, as he did not win in 2018.
Calm Early Laps to Open 2019 Season
Coming into the Daytona 500, everyone’s focus was placed on the Ford teams. The new Mustang cars were lightning fast in preliminary races, and when working together, seemed to be unbeatable. However, it was 2 Chevrolets from Hendrick Motorsports who led the field to the green flag. The Camaros of William Byron and Alex Bowman paced the opening laps of the Daytona 500 and the 2019 NASCAR season.
Lap 11 would be a tribute lap to the late JD Gibbs. On January 11th, the eldest son of Joe Gibbs and former president of Joe Gibbs Racing passed away after a neurological condition. Teams honored him by holding up a flag asking fans to visit JDGibbsLegacy.com.
The eventual win in Stage 1 would go to Kyle Busch, who inherited the lead on lap 35 and did not look back. Stage 1 was a relatively calm segment of the race, with plenty of side-by-side racing up front. The only crash in Stage 1 came on lap 51, when a spinning Kurt Busch collected Bubba Wallace, Jamie McMurray, and others. Fortunately, all of these drivers were able to continue on.
Career Day for Dibenedetto
After starting 9th in the Daytona 500, the 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota of Matt Dibenedetto took the lead on lap 7. Dibenedetto moved to the 95 team in the off-season, replacing Kasey Kahne. With a Joe Gibbs Racing alliance, the 95 was out front for much of the day. Dibenedetto would lead a race-high 49 laps, which is also more laps than he’s ever led in his career.
Stage 2 was similar to Stage 1 in that there was plenty of intense racing, but it remained mostly caution-free. Stage 2 had only a single caution for a 2-car wreck in turn 1, involving Casey Mears and Parker Kligerman. For the second-straight year, Ryan Blaney would take the Stage 2 win in the Daytona 500. While Blaney was up front without any teammates, many thought the race would be lights out if the Penske cars ever lined up 1-2-3.
Odd Incident Kicks Off Final Stage
The opening run of the final stage at Daytona saw the field utilize altering pit strategies. On lap 160, a pack of cars made their way onto pit road, then trouble ensued. The 2 Rick Ware Racing cars of BJ McLeod and Cody Ware spun into each other. This triggered a multi-car incident at pit entry that collected Tyler Reddick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Jimmie Johnson. Despite some major damage, all of these cars drove away from this crash.
Tire Issue Plagues Prerace Favorite
The next 20 laps were yet again comparatively clean. The racing action only paused with a few drivers having tire issues. These drivers included Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson. Keselowski, who came into the Daytona 500 as the odds on favorite, had an abysmal race. He started 35th, had the tire issue, and was never truly in contention for the win.
The Big One Strikes, Changes Tempo of Race
While racing hard down the backstretch on lap 192, the 21 of Paul Menard was giving Dibenedetto a big push. Unfortunately, Menard hit the 95 in the right rear, sending him spinning. The ensuing wreck collected 21 cars, a majority of the field, and caused a 25-minute red flag. Some of the fastest cars all day were out of the race, including Dibenedetto, Blaney, Aric Almirola, and many more. The intensity would ratchet up from this point onward, as the last handful of laps took over an hour to complete.
After the lengthy cleanup, racing resumed on lap 195. Just 5 laps were left in regulation for the Daytona 500. A lap later, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. made an aggressive move going for position that did not pay off. He tried going 3-wide underneath Kyle Larson, but the 42 came down and hooked the 17. They both went spinning, collecting the 4 of Kevin Harvick, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, and others.
Lead Change Between Teammates
Just prior to this wreck, the lead had changed hands. Denny Hamlin was just a bumper ahead of teammate Kyle Busch when the yellow came out. This would change the upcoming restart, as Hamlin had been letting Busch fall in line ahead of him. With a Daytona 500 win on the line, the time for team orders was running out.
Just 2 laps remained when the green flag fell again, this time with Hamlin out front. However, this run would be less than half of a lap in duration, as carnage happened behind the front runners. Clint Bowyer made an aggressive move to duck below Michael McDowell, and was not clear when he moved up ahead of the 34. Bowyer turned himself in front of the field, taking out Byron, McMurray, and others. This crash led to the second red flag of the night, with the delay lasting 15 minutes.
2 Lap Shootout Determines Daytona 500 Winner
With NASCAR Overtime in effect, racing went back underway on lap 206. Hamlin got a big jump over Busch, and fell in line ahead of the 18. However, the 22 of Joey Logano was lurking back in 3rd on the restart. Logano had a fast Ford and minimal damage, but would need help to get past both Toyotas.
Hamlin and Busch would rocket away, but Busch would lag back, trying to get a run to pass his teammate. Meanwhile, Logano was getting a push from Michael McDowell, but McDowell also backed off, trying to get a push of his own. Busch was able to hold off Logano, but the 20 of Erik Jones made a late charge.
Jones, who was involved in the earlier incidents, was able to pass both McDowell and Logano on the last lap. At the checkers, Hamlin had a big enough gap on Busch to secure the win, and Jones made it a 1-2-3 sweep for JGR. This win marked Denny’s first victory in 47 races, dating back to the Southern 500 in 2017.
The top 10 results in the 61st Daytona 500 are a mix of usual contenders and surprise names who survived the chaos. Behind the JGR 1-2-3 trio of Hamlin, Busch, and Jones were Logano, McDowell, Ty Dillon, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, Jimmie Johnson, and Ross Chastain. Their respective finishes of 6th, 8th, and 10th marked or tied career best results for Dillon, Preece, and Chastain.
Biggest Win Ever for Joe Gibbs Racing?
In light of losing his eldest son just a month ago, team owner Joe Gibbs called this Daytona 500 1-2-3 sweep “the most emotional and biggest win I’ve ever had in my life-in anything.” According to Gibbs, this race win means more to him and his family than his three Super Bowls, his four NASCAR Cup titles, or any other achievement. JD Gibbs’ family was in attendance and able to celebrate the emotional win.
If not for JD Gibbs, we would likely not know Denny Hamlin as a NASCAR Cup Series racer. The younger Gibbs discovered Hamlin on the short tracks of Virginia in 2004, and he has been a JGR driver ever since. JD convinced Joe to put Hamlin in the number 11 car, a number that held personal significance to the team president. JD wore the number 11 all throughout his high school football days, as well as his brief racing career. For the team JD Gibbs dedicated his life towards to finish 1-2-3 is the ultimate honor to his lasting legacy.
While this is Denny’s second triumph in the Daytona 500, it is also just the second time a team has finished 1-2-3 in the Great American Race. 22 years ago Hendrick Motorsports also achieved this feat with Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte, and Ricky Craven. That win in 1997 also carried added significance for HMS, as Rick Hendrick was at home battling leukemia during his team’s big win.
How to Watch the Next Race
Race number 2 for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the Folds of Honor/QuikTrip 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway. I will be on-hand in Atlanta all weekend long covering the action, so be sure to follow along at @T101_NASCAR. Coverage of the Atlanta race will be on Sunday, February 24, at 2 PM EST on Fox, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. This race will mark the debut of the controversial 2019 intermediate track aero package for the NASCAR Cup Series, so the racing could be as close as ever.
