Written by: Adrian Beecher
Daytona, FL – It was the 14th time that Kyle Busch has tried to win the Daytona 500, and this time he found himself door to door with his Joe Gibbs Racing Teammate Denny Hamlin on the final restart.
With only 6 cars in competitive condition to fight for a win and facing the 2nd NASCAR Overtime, Kyle Busch had a decision to make. He could race his teammate on the restart and possibly end the race without either of the two reaching victory lane, or possibly capture his first Harley J Earl Trophy that way.
Rowdy elected against that choice though, humbling himself to take one for the team. He called over to the radio to let his crew and Denny’s know that the plan was that Busch would pull up a bit on the restart to let Hamlin get in front of him from the top lane and Busch would give Hamlin the initial push on the restart.
“Strength is in numbers. We were trying to at least protect 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.” said Busch.
Hamlin was ok with the plan, stating he thought of all the cars left, he felt Busch would be the best pusher.
“They gave us the option there to just drop in front of him and I thought that was the best idea to hopefully get one of the two of our cars in victory lane.” Said Hamlin, “I thought it was the right decision for us to stay up top there.”
So then came the restart, and the plan went off without a hitch. Hamlin cut in front of Busch and got the push that put him out in front of the draft. Busch ended up getting passed up by Logano and then out of nowhere came a third member of the Joe Gibbs Racing team in the No. 20, Eric Jones.
Busch and Jones were able to get by Logano, however, Busch just wasn’t able to get a run on Hamlin off a push from Michael McDowell at the end to pull off the victory. Hamlin blocked and did what he could to manipulate the draft flow from the lead, but out of turn four, it was clear that the race was sealed
“I thought he was going to get position on us, but we just backed up to him just enough to keep him at bay. Proud of not only our team, but his team as well and having a great shot at the Daytona 500. I know this was as close as he came. He was a great teammate all day and we worked well together.” said Hamlin.
It was full car length victory for Hamlin, one that he dedicated to the late JD Gibbs, the person who recruited Denny to be a part of JGR racing.
“We have his whole family here. 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. Just to have Melissa (Gibbs) 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.”
After the race it was a bittersweet moment for Busch after finishing second in the 500, his best career finish in the historic race. However, he was very adamant about his commitment to doing what’s best for the team when asked if he would do it over again the same way again or if he’d race for the win on the restart.
“Yes and no. Again, trying to make sure at least one of us got to victory lane is first and foremost. After that you try to go race it out and see what you can do for yourself and for your team. There wasn’t enough cars out there really. There was six cars running at the end. I don’t know that anything would’ve been any different really if anything would’ve materialized. I think we all would’ve been stuck side-by-side given if I would’ve been on the outside or something like that. It’s so hard to tell. I don’t know how it would’ve played out, but I’m not going to worry about it.”
Anyone would want to win, but for Busch to make the deal with Denny and give him the clear advantage was a move for the betterment of Joe Gibbs Racing in its entirety. A moment that his true character and a moment team owner Joe Gibbs will forever remember.
“I got to tell you what happened right here – J.D.’s name is on that car. “ said team owner Joe Gibbs in elation, looking for words to express his emotions, “That’s his number 11 with Denny. He found Denny. I’m just saying what happened here is emotional for all of us and the family. Denny racing like he did right there is just unbelievable. I’m emotionally shot. I’m just saying, what happened here is really unreal. I’m just thrilled. I think J.D. has the best view of everything. It’s really an unbelievable experience. I don’t know how to put it into words. I just thank the Lord for letting us be a part of this. I hope J.D. – I hope people will go to JDGibbsLegacy.com and see that video. I think it could be life changing for them.”
