Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – With a Hail Mary move, Denny Hamlin ended Joe Gibbs’ 23-year drought at the Daytona 500.
Gibbs made it clear that he had no use for the victories his drivers collected in the exhibition races leading into Sunday’s season-opener. The three-time Super Bowl winning coach was focused only on the “Great American Race” and his four drivers brainstormed on the best way to get a win for Gibbs.
Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Busch stuck close together for most of the race, and they got assistance from Martin Truex Jr., who became a de facto JGR teammate this year when Furniture Row Racing moved to Toyota.
Kenseth was out front and leading Truex until the final lap when Hamlin finally jumped out of line to make his attempt at the win. Starting a second line on the outside, Hamlin got a push from Kevin Harvick that allowed him to catch Kenseth. Kenseth tried to throw a block but Hamlin wedged into the middle between Kenseth and Truex and Kenseth had to save his car from wrecking.
Hamlin then raced Truex side-by-side to the checkered flag for a photo finish. The margin of victory was 0.010 seconds, the closest in race history.