This is the Daytona 500, the biggest paying race, with the biggest reputation, and the most remembered victory of any driver’s career.
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Matt Kenseth was one lap away from his third Daytona 500 victory. Truex Jr. said he was optimistic as he raced to the finish line.
Fellow JGR driver Kyle Busch finished third behind Hamlin and Truex.
There were 199 laps of tense action and near misses that led to a historic finish on the 200th and final lap as Denny Hamlin edged Martin Truex Jr.by 0.01 seconds to win his first Daytona 500.
“I haven’t gotten to sleep yet”, Hamlin said on the Dan Patrick Show during one of the many stops on his Daytona 500 Champion’s media tour. There’s been football and baseball stars, current and retired, movie stars, and even presidents that have elected to come to enjoy what is the Great American Race.
“Just going to have to watch that on the highlight reel for the rest of my career, I suppose, for the rest of my life”, Truex said. But Sunday brought a win in “the single biggest race in our company’s history”.
Truex admitted afterward that when he sees replays of the finish, which will be inevitable because of how events played out, the defeat will linger.
Hamlin pulled out of line with a lap to go and chased down teammate Matt Kenseth.
“I think there are all the usual suspects”, he said.
“I did all I thought I could do”, offered Truex. I feel like I’m right in the middle. Kenseth slid over to block but lost control and drifted wider, toward the wall, leaving Hamlin clear to race Truex to the stripe. Spurred by Toyota wanting to strengthen its numbers, FRR was recruited by Toyota to switch from Chevrolet, which entailed JGR supplying FRR with cars, parts and critical data.
Denny Hamlin led Sunday’s Daytona 500 most of the afternoon, then needed a late surge to win NASCAR’s season-opening race. “The Daytona 500. This is the pinnacle of our sport, and I’m just proud to be here”.
That trust manifested itself on Sunday. Starting a second line on the outside, Hamlin got a push from Kevin Harvick that allowed him to catch Kenseth.
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Hamlin, just a few months removed from ACL surgery, had what most considered the second-fastest vehicle during Speedweeks behind Earnhardt.
“This is a team victory”, Hamlin said. Expectations were high and excitement levels were through the roof; the drivers reflecting those feelings from their fans as they rushed around the track looking to secure a win for themselves at the start. He did a great job of being a good Toyota teammate. They are our new partners.
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For Hamlin, who became the fifth driver (and the first since Jarrett accomplished the feat for the second time in 2000) to sweep the Sprint Unlimited and the Daytona 500 in the same season, the final lap was a blur. It hurts a little bit, Truex said. “He just got me by a couple feet”. “I think the only thing I should have done different was (to have) been a little more aggressive coming to the line holding Denny up the racetrack”.
