DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) – Denny Hamlin’s run at a Daytona 500 three-peat – that string of three straight championships achieved twice in the NBA by his business partner Michael Jordan – ended with just a top-five finish.
Not bad for most drivers.
For Hamlin, the result in a race he largely dominated meant he lost his shot at history: No driver has ever won three straight Daytona 500 championships. Hamlin paired the 2019 and 2020 Daytona victories with his 2016 win to thrust himself in the conversation as one of the best drivers to conquer “The Great American Race.”
“Our car was fast and we were certainly making it look easy there for a while,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin – who teamed with Jordan to launch 23XI Racing this season with Bubba Wallace as the driver – again was the driver to beat in the No. 11 Toyota. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver swept the first two stages and had Wallace along for the ride, trying to push his boss back into victory lane.