In an impressive clutch performance, Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at ISM Raceway and punched his ticket to vie for the series championship next week at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The No. 11 driver will be joined by Toyota teammates Martin Truex Jr., and Kyle Busch.
“I was counting down, I have a clock inside the car and I was looking at the clock and thinking, 20 more minutes of laps, 10 more minutes of laps, five more minutes of laps. I knew it was inevitable. I’ve been through so much at this race track. Obviously in 2010 and the downfall of our championship run there to get it all back 10 years later, this is special to me,” Hamlin said. Hamlin continued, “One of the best cars of my career, I can tell you that. Fast car. But, yeah, I pushed for all I had. I mean, that's all I got. Once we got the big lead there, a little over 10 seconds, I just kind of sat there. I got to thinking about if the caution does come out, I want to lap as many as I can. That's all we had. So proud of this whole FedEx racing team, proud of Toyota for locking up the manufacturer’s championship this week. Toyota, the Jordan Brand, Little Big Burger, the entire FedEx group for an unbelievable team.”
DENNY HAMLIN
With Hamlin’s victory, Joe Gibbs Racing tied the record for most victories in NASCAR Cup series history at 18; a mark set by Hendrick Motorsports in 2007.
The 38-race week season comes down to the championship race next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the 400-mile event in south Florida.