Posted on by Steve Luvender

That can’t be Dale …

A driver in a random iRacing session named Dale Earnhardt Jr.? It can’t be, can it?

No better way to confirm it was Dale Jr. than from the man himself. Plus, his former spotter TJ Majors hanging out in the session might have given it away, too.

Novak wins PEAK iRacing Series opener

Roush Fenway Racing’s Zack Novak claimed the first round of the 2019 eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series in a thrilling side-by-side finish with Jimmy Mullis of Richmond Raceway eSports.

Perhaps Novak, the reigning eNASCAR Ignite Series champion, can teach his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series counterpart Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a thing or two about sim racing.

And, yes, Mike Davis, the competition is real.

 

Final lap from Four-Time’s view

Daytona wasn’t kind to Ray Alfalla in his debut with Wood Brothers Racing. After a single-car crash midway through the race, Alfalla chronicled his ascent to finish 19th on a wild green-checkered finish.


Sunoco joins Richmond Raceway eSports

Even though you don’t need race fuel to make a car move in the virtual world, Sunoco Racing has partnered with Richmond Raceway eSports.

PEAK iRacing Series rookie Malik Ray will sport the Sunoco colors and the No. 90 in honor of Richmond native and former NASCAR team owner Junie Donlavey.


Richmond Raceway eSports drivers visit the Daytona 500

Continuing an eventful week for Richmond Raceway eSports, drivers Jimmy Mullis and Malik Ray visited the Daytona 500, spending some time teaching fans about iRacing.


Valentine’s Ray

The defending and four-time eNASCAR PEAK Antifreeze iRacing Series champion sent his best wishes for Valentine’s Day last week.


Leveling the playing field

Sim racing has changed the way up-and-coming drivers can showcase their skills, as evidenced by NASCAR driver and iRacing team owner Parker Kligerman’s interaction with a fan and eSports hopeful.


Heat Pro League Showcase Races continue

Last week, the eNASCAR Heat Pro League continued its Showcase Race series ahead of the series draft in March — this time, racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Xfinity Series cars. Competitors looked to demonstrate their racecraft skills in hopes of catching the eye of a real Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series team.

The next Showcase Race takes place Wednesday at Martinsville Speedway in the Gander Outdoors Truck Series-style trucks.


iRacing Paint Schemes of the Week

Erik Le brought Natalie Decker’s unfortunately short-lived truck to life for iRacing.

JR Motorsports graphic designer Jordan Erickson ported the design from Noah Gragson’s No. 9 Xfinity Series Chevrolet to the virtual screen.


iRacing Video of the Week

Check out the highlight reel of the PEAK iRacing Series opening race at Daytona, culminating in an exciting finish.


NASCAR Heat 3 Video of the Week

The second eNASCAR Heat Pro League Showcase Race featured the top eSports racers competing in the Xfinity Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Catch the recap from 704 Games:

Posted on by Staff Report

Ever wonder just what it feels like to be a part of the “Big One” in the Daytona 500?

Well, so you don’t have to experience it, we have some photos that show just how hard the impact can be at Daytona International Speedway.

RELATED: Wreck pics from every angle

Thanks to eagle-eye Twitter user @malikkoonce77, we can see that Matt Tifft’s No. 36 Ford wrecked so forcefully in the “Big One” that someone’s tail lights were embedded in the front of his car.

Tail lights of Paul Menard's No. 21 are embedded in the front bumper of Matt Tifft's No. 36 after the Daytona 500.
@malikkoonce77 | Twitter

Let that sink in — just like those three horizontal red lights are in Tifft’s car. The lights transferred from one car to another because they collided at such a great force.

Kevin Harvick’s crew chief Rodney Childers was the one who realized what the photo showed on Twitter.

And Tifft then admitted he brought back a little present from his first Daytona 500.

But it took another Twitter user to discover just whose tail lights those were …

Looks like Tifft will be sending that thank you note to Paul Menard.

See the crash in the video above — and the two cars colliding at about the 1:37 mark.

 

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Denny Hamlin was still grinning Monday morning at Daytona International Speedway, 12 hours after hoisting his second Daytona 500 trophy in Victory Lane. He met with the media, signed special pieces of speedway memorabilia and received the traditional Daytona 500 winner’s leather jacket during the annual champion’s breakfast.

There was a distinctively different vibe from last February, when 2018 Daytona 500 winner Austin Dillon was sharing stories of his victory tattoo and an all-night party.

Truth be told, Dillon’s rowdy celebration was more similar to Hamlin’s first Daytona 500 win in 2016, but this time around Hamlin has two young daughters, is nursing a cold and feeling all kinds of sentimental having won the sport’s biggest race only weeks after his close friend and Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs passed away.

Instead of burning the midnight oil, Hamlin joined his team owner – J.D.’s father Joe Gibbs – at a nearby Steak ‘n Shake for a more wholesome and fitting nod to his late friend. It’s a team tradition that took on significant meaning this year.

RELATED: Inside JGR’s Steak ‘n Shake tradition in Daytona Beach

“We were running the streets,” Gibbs said jokingly of the celebration.

“Actually, this tradition started with our very first win [Dale Jarrett, 1993], we got lost in Daytona 500 winner’s circle, wound up grabbing the trophy, didn’t know you go to the media center, pulled out on the road from the track and went north and J.D. and (his other son) Coy said, ‘Hey dad, we’re starved,’ so I said ‘Steak ‘n Shake.’

“So we spent 30 minutes in the parking lot with fans and it was awesome. So a tradition started. Last night we did the same. We wound up with our whole group and a bunch of fans too.’’

As for any victory tattoos?

Denny Hamlin's 2019 Daytona 500-winning car now sits in Daytona USA
Torey Fox | NASCAR Digital Media

Again, Gibbs, Hamlin, and his winning crew chief Chris Gabehart laughed out loud.

“I got one,’’ Gibbs joked about the tattoo.

“Not me,’’ said Hamlin, who did however, receive congratulatory calls from NBA legends Michael Jordan on Sunday night and Charles Barkley on Monday morning.

While both Gibbs and Hamlin were able to smile about the celebration and trophies Monday morning, they both remained insistent, however, the best part of the victory was the opportunity to remember and honor J.D. Gibbs, who battled a degenerative neurological disease.

Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota carried J.D.’s name and there was a moment of remembrance during Lap 11 of the Daytona 500.

The outcome – the victory and the happiness it produced – was a fantastic way to remember Gibbs, who was a positive, always-smiling presence in the NASCAR garage for years as a driver and then executive on the JGR team.

Winning was the expectation and Gibbs’ style of leadership certainly seemed to have worked the magic. The smiles, high fives and team celebrations this week are reminders of the J.D. Gibbs’ spirit that elevated the organization for years.

MORE: Denny Hamlin wins 61st annual Daytona 500 | Complete results

“The whole thing was just a special memory for me, and it’s one I’ll never forget, and it was the most important night of my occupational life,’’ Joe Gibbs said Sunday after the victory lane celebration.

It’s not only a sentimental accomplishment for the team, but also a strong signal of Hamlin’s competitiveness to come in 2019. The win assures him a position in the Playoffs this fall.

First though, Hamlin heads out Monday night on the Daytona 500 victory tour. On Tuesday, he will appear on FS1’s “First Things First,” Live! With Kelly and Ryan, Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take,’ and also at the New York Stock Exchange. He will make appearances on both The Weather Channel and CNN in Atlanta later in the week.

“There’s been a lot of one-time winners of big races, but certainly if you win a couple that’s a skill thing and if you put yourself in that position, certainly it’s validating for sure,’’ Hamlin said.

PHOTOS: Best scenes from all-time great Daytona 500

Posted on by Jessica Ruffin

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As cars sat under two red flags during Sunday’s Daytona 500, the No. 11 pit box of Denny Hamlin began accumulating more people in its vicinity. Some folks were smiling, many were nervous – and all had their eyes glued to the on-track action when the cars began rolling again for the final two-lap shootout in overtime with Hamlin in the lead.

When the Joe Gibbs Racing mainstay crossed the start-finish line first to grab the checkered flag, the box erupted with emotion; crew guys jumped off the wall and one sprayed water in the air. Someone shouted, “We did it for J.D.!” There were hugs, high-fives and cheers.

And there were tears, too.

J.D. Gibbs’ widow, Melissa Gibbs, stood at the corner of the pit box, her hands on her face and tears in her eyes, her sons around her celebrating.

“J.D. is on that car,” said team owner Coach Joe Gibbs, amidst embraces and cheers. “Unbelievable.”

This was more than a victory, more than a Daytona 500 win or even breaking Hamlin’s 47-race winless streak — Sunday night went beyond any of that for the Joe Gibbs Racing family.

MORE: Hamlin takes home second Daytona 500 | Full results

That race was for Joe’s son and Joe Gibbs Racing co-founder J.D. Gibbs, who passed away at age 49 from degenerative neurological disease Jan. 11.

“It’s the most emotional and the biggest win I’ve ever had in my life, in anything,” said Joe Gibbs, who won three Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins before founding Joe Gibbs Racing.

“J.D. built our race team, was the guy that ran day‑to‑day operations for 27 years. He invested his occupational life in our race team. And as a part of that, he went up to purchase some late model stuff from Denny and struck up a relationship with Denny, put him in a test, put him in a truck, put him in an Xfinity car at Darlington, and finally he said, ‘We need to sign this guy.’ … And then to say, J.D.’s favorite number was 11 when he raced. That’s what he had.  Denny’s number is 11. Denny put J.D. over the door post on that car, and to have that take place, everything that took place tonight, everybody knows, we’ve been to Daytona 27 times. We had won twice before. …

“It was just an unbelievable night, unbelievable crowd.”

For Joe Gibbs Racing to take home the Harley J. Earl trophy mere weeks after J.D.’s passing was special. But it was even more meaningful that the victory came from Hamlin, who has long spoke of his close relationship with J.D.

“He meant a lot to me and it’s hard for me not getting choked up because I’ve been choked up about 100 times about it,” Hamlin said. “Just to have Melissa and all the kids here, it’s just crazy. Joe and his whole family and what they’ve done for my career – to bring them back to Victory Lane again is just amazing. …

“The whole family – they did so much for me over the course of my career. This one is for J.D. We are desperately going to miss him the rest of our lives.

“His legacy still lives on through Joe Gibbs Racing and (I’m) proud to do this for them.”

The signs of J.D. were everywhere Sunday; his oldest son, Miller, wore the same Interstate Batteries race shirt that his father wore when he won the Daytona 500 as a tire changer in 1993. Each race car in the field carried a J.D. Gibbs decal on the driver’s side and Hamlin’s winning car bore an additional sticker on the B-post for J.D. Gibbs Legacy, the foundation established in J.D.’s honor that supports Young Life Ministry.

J.D. was also honored at Lap 11 – his favorite number – with a tribute in Sunday’s Daytona 500. During the lap, Joe Gibbs Racing pit crews stood on pit wall, holding a J.D. banner bearing countless signatures.

And when the checkered flag waved at race’s end, the scoreboard showed that Joe Gibbs Racing – in perfect, storybook fashion – had swept the top three spots as Kyle Busch finished second and Erik Jones rallied for third.

“Any time you can run 1-2 or 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4, whatever it is, it’s a good sign for your company and for your team,” Jones said. “For me, I knew J.D. very early in my career at JGR, when I first got into Xfinity part time in 2014. I didn’t get to spend much with him, but great guy. My father was a big fan of J.D. and what he was doing at Joe Gibbs Racing, and I think you’re hard‑pressed to find anybody who would have a bad thing to say about J.D.”

Indeed, J.D.’s impact went beyond the walls of Joe Gibbs Racing; it was evident Sunday that he had touched many more in the garage during his lifetime. That included fourth-place finisher Joey Logano, who had been chasing JGR’s Hamlin and Busch for the victory in the waning laps of the “Great American Race.”

“I’m not a Gibbs driver, but what J.D. has done for my career is the reason why I’m sitting here today,” Logano said. “As bad as I want to win it, it is pretty cool to think that the first race after his passing, to see those guys 1-2-3, it just says he’s up there watching and maybe gave you guys a little extra boost there at the end.”

Some could say Hamlin won solely because of his restrictor plate prowess or Joe Gibbs Racing’s power under the hood. Others may claim it was due to Lady Luck bestowing favor upon Hamlin at the most tumultuous of race tracks.

But Joe Gibbs would likely disagree with most of that. This win was too special for coincidence.

“I guess everybody could say, ‘Well, that just happened.’ I don’t believe that just happened,” he said. “I honestly believe it was ‑‑ I think the Lord looked down on us, and I know J.D. and everybody in my family was emotional. …

“The whole thing was just a special memory for me, and it’s one I’ll never forget, and it was the most important night of my occupational life.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Matt DiBenedetto’s 28th-place finish hardly did justice to the way the Grass Valley, Calif., driver performed in Sunday’s Daytona 500.

After all, DiBenedetto held the top spot for a race-high 49 laps, more than doubling the 23 he had led in his previous 140 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts combined.

RELATED: Race results

In his first race in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota Camry, DiBenedetto was running near the front when Paul Menard’s Ford hit him from behind and turned him into the outside wall as the cars approached Turn 3. By the time the sparks stopped flying, 21 cars had been involved in the wreck, and DiBenedetto had been eliminated from the race.

“Just one of those racing deals,” DiBenedetto said ruefully after leaving the infield care center. “I talked to Paul there, and he was just trying to get to my outside and got into my right rear. This is the first time that I’m seeing it (on replay), and he just got to my right rear and was trying to push. I was focused on trying to help my Toyota teammates. This was the best speedway event I’ve had in my life – being able to lead and do some incredible things.

WATCH: DiBenedetto “heartbroken”

“This is such a great team and I know we can show them what we’re doing here. I’m just so proud to be a part of Toyota and Procore as my sponsor – all these guys – Leavine Family Racing and Toyota, they all took a heck of a chance on me, and I’m glad we proved what we’re here to do. I’m pretty heartbroken, but appreciative to be here. Thank you so much to all the fans for all the support, just happy to be here.”

Posted on by Pat DeCola

In 1993, Joe Gibbs Racing — still in its infancy — pulled off the unthinkable by winning the 1993 Daytona 500 with future NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett.

The team celebrated by going down the street from Daytona International Speedway and ripping it up at … Steak ‘n Shake.

It would be aother 23 years before Joe Gibbs landed one of his cars in Victory Lane after the “Great American Race” again, seeing longtime driver Denny Hamlin accomplish the feat in the closest finish the race has ever seen in 2016.

As a nod to how far the group had come as an organization, growing from a small collection of individuals to the four-car powerhouse it is today while maintaining its humble roots, Gibbs took everyone back to the eatery to celebrate.

So when Hamlin added a second Harley J. Earl trophy to his resume in Sunday’s instant classic, there was little doubt where the party would carry over to.

MORE: Denny Hamlin wins 61st annual Daytona 500 | Complete results

A tasty tradition like no other.

PHOTOS: Best scenes from all-time great Daytona 500

Posted on by Holly Cain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As far as Daytona 500 debuts go Ryan Preece was plenty encouraged if not wholly satisfied with his eighth-place finish Sunday night. He was running top five, had even pushed into the top three with a lap to go, but got shuffled out by veterans as the checkered flag flew to close out the overtime season-opener.

In the moments after climbing out of his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, he stood on pit road and looked at replays of the race finish on the giant television screen a few yards away.

There were the final two laps for review. Toyota driver Denny Hamlin earned his second Daytona 500 win and on the last lap, it looked as if Preece may finish on the podium in his 500 debut. Instead, a last-lap shuffle — so typical of this race — resulted in Preece losing positions as the field took the checkered flag.

RELATED: Race results | Hamlin holds off Preece, JGR teammates on final lap

But the 28-year-old Connecticut native still managed a smile at his top-10 standing by his car and shaking hands with his smiling JTG Daugherty Racing crew.

“Sitting here watching this I’m probably going to get frustrated with myself because there’s a couple things I could have done different to help my chances,” Preece said as he watched the replay. “I was so committed to pushing Joey [Logano], I focused more on him than I did some of the runs I probably should have focused on.

“All in all it’s a good day. It’s an eighth-place finish, a great day for JTG.”

Another replay of the race finish showed again over the speedway as Preece finished speaking with reporters.

“It’s so frustrating watching it,” Preece said, obviously trying to summon a smile. “We were in third place on the white-flag lap and got flushed.”

Perhaps in the coming days, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup rookie will look back at the closing laps as encouragement. His competitors were impressed with the job he did and the crowd seemed to be as well. He was competitive all day, avoided multiple late-race accidents and put himself in position to be a factor as the field approached the most famous checkered flag in NASCAR.

The reigning NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano, was certainly complimentary of his fellow Connecticut native.

“It was intense as you would expect with the Daytona 500 on the line and I had a great push by the 47 of Ryan Preece and I thought that was cool,” Logano said after climbing out of his car. “We grew up racing quarter-midgets against each other in Connecticut and it just shows that dreams can really come true.

“I’m proud to be racing with him in the Daytona 500. I think that’s super cool.”

Preece also recognized the opportunity to partner with Logano, a former Daytona 500 winner, and appreciated the restrictor plate lesson.

“I know he does a really good job at these restrictor plate races,” Preece said. “I have a good relationship with Joey. Other than that, he’s really good at making holes. He got me to third and I didn’t do a good enough job blocking and trying to help him move forward to.

“This is a learning experience. Everyone talks about learning and I can tell you multiple things I learned today to help me better my career but also learn what I need to do different the next time I come.”

A two-time winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Preece eventually walked off pit road much more encouraged than frustrated. This is the biggest opportunity of his life and Sunday night was a good start.

“I’m a racer. … and I’m competitive so I’m going to nitpick myself right now,” Preece said. “When I get in my truck and drive home and watch this finish I’m going to say, ‘man, I could have had fifth. I could have had third.’ But at the end of the day, it’s still a great day.

“All in all, today’s been about finishing the race, but hopefully gaining people that will work with me in the future. If I can keep on putting that group of people together for maybe the July race [at Daytona] or Talladega [Ala.], I can build that reputation of ‘hey, we can work with him.’

“Then we will run up front more at the end of these races and put ourselves in a good situation.”

Posted on by Zack Albert

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Joey Logano confronted Michael McDowell on pit road after Sunday’s Daytona 500 after manufacturer solidarity went out the window and both drivers’ bids for victory faded in an overtime finish.

Logano finished fourth, just one spot ahead of McDowell, as Denny Hamlin led a top-three sweep of teammates to his second 500 victory. An agitated Logano quickly dismounted from his Team Penske No. 22, then made a beeline to McDowell’s Front Row Motorsports No. 34 for an animated discussion.

Logano, who established his car’s strength early by winning a Thursday qualifying race, said he was upset over their inability to team up in an aerodynamic draft with a show of automaker unity for Ford. Instead of mounting a charge to push Logano’s Team Penske No. 22 with half a lap to go, McDowell changed lanes and tried to gain ground behind Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota.

RELATED: Full Daytona 500 results

The Mustang challenge never materialized and the Speedweeks that was so dominated by Ford turned into a 1-2-3 sweep in the main event for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota.

“I was just surprised by the situation and what happened,” said Logano, who was vying for his second Daytona 500 to match the win he scored in 2015. “I thought that was going to be the plan, I would’ve thought. It’s part of it. He’s racing, too, I guess. We can’t win these things alone.”

McDowell bristled at that suggestion, saying the final lap was every driver for himself.

Said McDowell: “I just told him that my team doesn’t pay me to push Joey Logano to a win. That’s not what I get paid to do. At 200 miles an hour I made a split-second decision on what was the fastest car and who had the best shot of winning the race and that’s where I went.”

McDowell survived the late-race chaos and emerged as a contender after an eventful final stretch, which trickled over the scheduled distance into overtime. Before the final restart, McDowell was chopped by Clint Bowyer’s No. 14, triggering a nine-car pileup the sent the race to a second OT.

“The Bowyer wreck’s all his fault,” said McDowell. “He flat-out tried to shift me out and then cleared himself, and he wasn’t clear. That’s what’s so frustrating. You’ve got guys that are like, ‘Hey, why didn’t you go with me?’ Well, because every time I’m in the front, you shook me out, and so what makes you think I’m going to push you to a win when you leave me high and dry the whole entire day?”

Posted on by Staff Report

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Joe Gibbs Racing not only won the 61st annual Daytona 500 with driver Denny Hamlin, but teammates Kyle Busch and Erik Jones also made it a 1-2-3 sweep of the top positions by finishing right behind Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota. It was the first time a team swept the top three positions in the Daytona 500 since Hendrick Motorsports accomplished the feat in 1997 with Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven.

They got there after a frenzied finish that saw multiple wrecks, two red flags and Hamlin and Busch swapping the lead in between a pair of late-race restarts.

RELATED: Hamlin wins Daytona 500 | Hamlin’s rise in NASCAR

The two Joe Gibbs Racing veterans communicated through their own personal teams via scanner to orchestrate the final laps. The result of that left Hamlin exuberant in Victory Lane and Busch looking devastated on pit road.

“It’s first and foremost to try to make sure that we at least get a JGR car to Victory Lane,” Busch said of the final few laps. “(The 11 car) didn’t want to do it the previous restart, but then since he got the lead, he wanted to do it again (at the end). 

“You know, it is what it is. At least we got a JGR car in Victory Lane. That’s the big picture. That’s what matters, and we move on.”

Hamlin explained that the No. 18 team asked his group to work together on the final restart, and the way the field was stacked, the Virginia native thought it made sense in that instance.

“Our original deal was inside 10 to go, after that you kind of race,” Hamlin said. “We kept going. I think we had a restart with seven or eight to go, we worked together, and … I think they asked and we said, ‘Let’s just race it out.’ So that put us in a good position.

“(For the last restart), I think they came to my spotter and said, ‘Hey, do you want to drop down in front of us, we’re open to do that,’ and when I saw him and the 22 (of Joey Logano) lined up, I was like, ‘Well, absolutely, sure. Definitely we’ll do that.’ I thought that was the best move for us, but it still gave him a great opportunity to win because he got a great run on us on the backstretch and we had to block it.”

For Hamlin, it was his second time winning the Daytona 500 — the first was in 2016 in a razor-close finish against Martin Truex Jr. — and it ended a winless drought that stretched back to the 2017 Southern 500. The Daytona 500 victory also came on the same day that Hamlin’s crew held up a sign in tribute to another No. 11, J.D. Gibbs, the beloved co-chairman of JGR who passed away a little more than a month ago.

RELATED: JGR pit crews, team honor J.D. Gibbs

Owner Joe Gibbs was overcome with emotion during his post-race interview with FOX as he tried to put in to words what the victory and 1-2-3 finish meant to him and the team.

“What happened right here, J.D.’s name is on that car,” Joe Gibbs said. “That’s his No. 11 with Denny, he found Denny. I’m just saying what happened here was emotional for all of us, the family. Denny racing like he did right there is unbelievable.”

Jones was almost the forgotten man of the podium sweep, having gotten swept up in an on-track incident previously. But Jones kept his car (mostly) clean when the “Big One” – and then others – erupted around him, then steered through the carnage late when Joey Logano and Michael McDowell didn’t quite get their Fords hooked up late.

“I couldn’t really tell how bad (the damage) was at the time, but it’s just such a ‑‑ it’s such a race here of just perseverance,” Jones said. “I mean, you get down to those last 20 laps, I knew there was probably going to be another wreck. 

“But getting down to the end, at one point I was like, well, there’s only 14 cars left, I might as well just go race now. You’ve just got to stick with it. I mean, this is the one track where you can have quite a bit of damage and still get up there and contend, and that’s what kept me going, knowing we were still going to be in it and be able to finish.”

Posted on by Reid Spencer

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Five weeks after the death of Joe Gibbs Racing president J.D. Gibbs, the driver he discovered won the Daytona 500 for the second time.

In a two-lap dash in overtime Sunday at Daytona International Speedway, Denny Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch to win the 61st running of the Great American Race, an event that featured massive fireworks with five late cautions that left 14 cars on the lead lap at the finish.

RELATED: Full Daytona 500 results | SHOP: Race winner gear

The victory was Hamlin’s 32nd in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, and it broke a 47-race drought for the 38-year-old from Chesterfield, Va., who had stickers on his No. 11 Toyota Camry commemorating J.D. Gibbs and Glen Wood, patriarch of the Wood Brothers Racing team who passed away on Jan. 18.

“It was just one of those days where I felt like it was meant to be,” said Hamlin, who was paired with new crew chief Chris Gabehart. “Hats off to Kyle as well. I know he was eagerly wanting his first victory in the Daytona 500, but today we just weren’t going to be denied.

“The whole (Gibbs) family — they did so much for me over the course of my career. This one is for J.D. We’re desperately going to miss him the rest of our lives. His legacy still lives on through Joe Gibbs Racing and I’m proud to do this for them.”

Understandably, team owner Joe Gibbs was overcome with emotion when talking about his late son after the race.

“J.D.’s name is on that car,” Gibbs said. “That’s his number. J.D. found him (Hamlin). What happened here is really unreal. I just thank the Lord for letting us be a part of this.”

Busch chose the bottom lane for a restart on Lap 199 of 200, but Hamlin surged ahead on the backstretch moments before contact between the Fords of Clint Bowyer and Michael McDowell triggered a nine-car wreck that forced overtime. NASCAR stopped the race for the second time for the clean-up, and Hamlin chose the top lane for the final restart on Lap 206.

By design, Hamlin pulled down in front of Busch as the cars headed for Turn 1 and held the lead the rest of the way, as Busch, Joey Logano, McDowell and Erik Jones fought for position behind him. Hamlin crossed the stripe .138 seconds ahead of Busch, who was frustrated in his 14th unsuccessful attempt to win the 500.

“When he gave me the top (on the Lap 199 restart),” Hamlin said, “I was literally doing a little cheer in my mind, thinking my playbook said, ‘Always choose the top no matter who’s behind you — it doesn’t matter.’ I’ve been on the front row for so many restarts and lost ‘em because I’ve been on the bottom.

“Obviously, there were circumstances that happened behind us that allowed us to be in front at the caution.”

Busch didn’t regret his decision to let Hamlin drop down in front of him after the overtime restart.

“Strength in numbers,” Busch explained. “We were trying to protect at least one of our cars being able to get to Victory Lane, and I felt like we were able to do that with being able to do what we did on that last restart.

“But, overall, it’s certainly bittersweet. It’s awesome to see a JGR car in Victory Lane with Joe and J.D. and everything that’s gone on this offseason with all that. But it’s very, very bittersweet for all those that support us and all my team guys that work so hard to try to get to Victory Lane and get our Daytona 500 victory.

“He’s got two. I’ve got none. We just have to move on and go to the next time.”

What had been a relative calm race turned chaotic in the late going. After a restart with 10 laps left, all hell broke loose as the field approached Turn 3. Contact from Paul Menard’s No. 21 Ford sent Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 95 Toyota spinning into the outside wall and back across traffic. By the time cars finished wrecking, 21 cars had sustained damage ranging from minor to catastrophic.

DiBenedetto was eliminated from his maiden run in the No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Toyota Camry, leaving Menard to do a mea culpa when he exited the infield care center.

“I’m not really sure what happened,” Menard said. “I hooked the 95. I was trying to get to his outside, and he was kind of in the middle and he went to the outside and was going back and forth. The 12 (Ryan Blaney) had a big run, so I jumped up in front of him and hooked the 95.

“I’ll take the blame for that one, I guess. We had really fast Fords. I sped on pit road and got us behind. We had to play catch-up. We had a shot there at the end though. It was time to go. It’s frustrating that we have to put ourselves in that position to race this way. I tried backing off but wrecked a lot of cars.”

Two more cautions for multicar wrecks followed before Hamlin could make his decisive two-lap run to the finish and claim the Harley J. Earl trophy for the second time.