Denny Hamlin reigned supreme at Michigan International Speedway after yet another masterful restart execution. In a race that saw the red flag throw a wrench into the final stage, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran came home flying, matching his late former teammate’s 63-win NASCAR record to become the ninth-winningest driver in Cup Series history.
Although the road to it was anything but straightforward, the FireKeepers Casino 400 saw vintage Hamlin at his best.
After laying down the fastest lap in qualifying and earning the pole, he was sent to the rear of the field before the green flag for unapproved adjustments. On a day when Michigan produced 23 lead changes among the leaders and 11 cautions, that setback could have easily derailed his Sunday afternoon. But it didn’t.
In fact, for much of the race, the spotlight belonged elsewhere.
Tyler Reddick gave Toyota an early advantage, charging past Carson Hocevar and leading 33 laps en route to his first stage win of the season. The No. 45 looked like one of the cars to beat before his day ended in the massive Lap 83 restart crash that swept up several contenders, including Hamlin himself.
Meanwhile, the Chevrolet camp answered back in Stage 2. Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, leading a race-high 67 laps, captured the second stage victory. Between Elliott, teammate Kyle Larson, William Byron, Daniel Suarez, and hometown hero Hocevar, Chevy repeatedly flexed its muscle on the two-mile speedway until Hamlin took control in the final stage.
Following a red flag (Lap 150/200) for SAFER barrier repairs after a hard crash involving Elliott and Christopher Bell, the race resumed with Suarez, Byron, and Hocevar battling for control.
While the Mexican-born driver appeared to have the ideal position when the green flag waved on Lap 162, Hamlin saw an opening.
As Suarez and Hocevar fought side-by-side and Byron searched for clean air, the three-time Daytona winner timed his run perfectly. The No. 11 Toyota shot through the middle, briefly making it three-wide at the start-finish line before clearing the field entering Turn 1.
Once out front, Hamlin methodically stretched the gap while the drivers behind him fought over second place. By Lap 169, he had already started pulling away from the No. 7 of Suarez.
And by Lap 182, his advantage had grown beyond three seconds. Fourteen laps later, the lead had ballooned to more than ten seconds.
When the checkered flag finally came down, Hamlin crossed the line a staggering 11.110 seconds ahead of Erik Jones, who pieced together a strong late-race charge to finish second. Bubba Wallace completed an impressive day for 23XI Racing in third, while the reigning champion Larson and Hocevar rounded out the top five.
Elliott led the most laps with 67, while Reddick paced the field for 33 before his early exit. Hocevar led 21 laps, Suarez led 10, Wallace led nine, and Byron added seven of his own while Hamlin officially led 40 laps.
The 200-lap ringer saw Hocevar record the fastest lap of the race at 37.47 seconds, narrowly edging Hamlin’s best lap of 37.48 seconds.
In hindsight, the win also continued Hamlin’s remarkable stretch at Michigan. After winning last year’s event, the veteran has now gone back-to-back at the historic speedway, also extending his win streak to two after Nashville last week. His total win count this season now stands at three.
More importantly, the Michigan triumph placed him alongside Kyle Busch with 63 career Cup Series victories. Only eight drivers in NASCAR history have won more.
