{"id":723715,"date":"2026-06-08T20:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T20:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/723715\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T20:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T20:37:11","slug":"denny-hamlin-joins-kyle-busch-in-nascar-history-after-michigan-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/723715\/","title":{"rendered":"Denny Hamlin Joins Kyle Busch in NASCAR History After Michigan Win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Denny Hamlin\u2019s victory<\/a> at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday accomplished more than just adding another trophy to his collection.<\/p>\n

With the win, Hamlin reached 63 NASCAR<\/a> Cup Series victories, tying the late Kyle Busch<\/a> for ninth-place on the sport\u2019s all-time wins list.<\/p>\n

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The milestone came during an emotional period for NASCAR following Busch\u2019s death last month. Hamlin and Busch spent much of the last two decades competing against each other at NASCAR\u2019s highest level, combining for 126 Cup Series victories and helping define one of the sport\u2019s most competitive eras.<\/p>\n

Hamlin\u2019s Michigan win did not come easily.<\/p>\n

After starting from the rear of the field because of pre-race adjustments, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver methodically worked his way forward throughout the afternoon. Strategy, patience, and execution eventually put the No. 11 Toyota in position to challenge for the victory late in the race.<\/p>\n

When the checkered flag fell, Hamlin had secured his second consecutive Michigan victory<\/a> and the 63rd win of his Cup Series career.<\/p>\n

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Hamlin Acknowledges the Significance of Matching Busch<\/p>\n

Following the race, Hamlin acknowledged the significance of matching Busch\u2019s win total.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe offseason was rough for me, rough for the NASCAR family. We lost a lot of people,\u201d Hamlin said after the race. \u201cThis week we lost Gentleman Ned [Jarrett] and still thinking of Kyle [Busch], [his wife] Samantha [and children] Brexton and Lennix. Just grateful to be able strap in every week and I don\u2019t take it for granted the opportunity that I\u2019m in. Just love that we\u2019re making the best of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamlin\u2019s comments reflected the reality that Sunday\u2019s victory carried added meaning beyond the championship standings.<\/p>\n

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While Hamlin has spent years building one of the most accomplished r\u00e9sum\u00e9s in NASCAR history, Busch\u2019s passing<\/a> has inevitably placed greater focus on where both drivers stand among the sport\u2019s all-time greats.<\/p>\n

Hamlin Gains Ground in the Championship Battle<\/p>\n

The win also had major implications for the championship race.<\/p>\n

Entering Michigan, Tyler Reddick held a sizable points lead. But Reddick\u2019s afternoon ended early after mechanical issues, while Hamlin capitalized on the opportunity by reaching Victory Lane.<\/p>\n

The result significantly tightened the gap between the two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates with 11 races remaining before the Cup Series playoffs begin.<\/p>\n

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Michigan\u2019s race<\/a> featured several dramatic moments throughout the afternoon, including an early exit for Connor Zilisch<\/a> and a frightening late-race crash involving Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell while battling for second place.<\/p>\n

Both drivers walked away from the accident, though Joe Gibbs later revealed Bell will undergo additional evaluation this week for wrist and ankle injuries<\/a> sustained in the crash.<\/p>\n

Still, Sunday\u2019s biggest headline belonged to Hamlin.<\/p>\n

His 63rd career victory not only strengthened his championship hopes, but also moved him alongside Busch on one of the most prestigious lists in NASCAR history.<\/p>\n

With Pocono Raceway next on the schedule<\/a>, Hamlin will have an opportunity to continue his climb toward the top of the all-time wins leaderboard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Denny Hamlin\u2019s victory at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday accomplished more than just adding another trophy to his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":723716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,10328,3140,3932,12101,8661,1447,634,82,9272],"class_list":["post-723715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-christopher-bell","tag-cup-series","tag-denny-hamlin","tag-joe-gibbs-racing","tag-kyle-busch","tag-michigan","tag-nascar","tag-sports","tag-tyler-reddick"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}