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Denny Hamlin wins Daytona 500
Monday, February 18, 2019

(DAYTON BEACH, FL) – Denny Hamlin came to the Daytona 500 determined to honor his late car owner with a victory. He delivered with a storybook tribute for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin won NASCAR's biggest race for the second time in four years Sunday, leading JGR in a 1-2-3 sweep of the podium in overtime. The race and the season have been dedicated to J.D. Gibbs, Joe Gibbs' eldest son who died last month after battling a degenerative neurological disease. J.D. Gibbs helped his father start the race team, ran it while Joe Gibbs was coaching the Washington Redskins, was a tire changer on the team's first Daytona 500 victory and the one who discovered Hamlin during a test session at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Hamlin was hired to drive the No. 11, the number J.D. Gibbs used when he played football -- and J.D. Gibbs' name is on the Toyota. When Hamlin stopped his car along the front stretch to collect the checkered flag, he immediately credited J.D. Gibbs. Kyle Busch and Erik Jones finished second and third as JGR became the second team in NASCAR history to sweep the Daytona 500 podium. Hendrick Motorsports did it in 1997 with Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven.

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