Denny Hamlin didn’t have the fastest car throughout most of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway. He did, however, have enough good fortune and gasoline to win.
After moving into second place when Carson Hocevar suffered a flat tire with 19 laps to go, Hamlin swept past William Byron for the lead with just over three laps remaining after a spirited battle with the Hendrick Motorsports driver. He never trailed again.
While Byron’s Chevrolet ultimately ran out of gas just shy of the finish, Hamlin had just enough in the tank to score the victory — the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s third of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
“I went all out and was able to battle for the lead, and when I got the lead, I was able to back it down a little bit,” Hamlin said of being in fuel conservation mode. “I have some friends in (turns) 3 and 4 that I promised I’d do a burnout in front of their bus once this was over, so I ran out of fuel over there.”
A Beaming Denny Hamlin Taunts Fans At Michigan
Denny Hamlin, who made it two Michigan wins in a row for Toyota on the heels of a nine-race winning streak for Ford, took the checkered flag over Chris Buescher’s RFK Racing Ford.
Hamlin’s JGR teammate, Ty Gibbs, finished third. 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace came home fourth in his Toyota. Kyle Larson completed the top five in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevy.
Hamlin led just five laps, a far cry from William Byron’s 98 laps out front and the 32 that Carson Hocevar spent in P1. In the end, though, Hamlin was the one celebrating. And celebrate he did in his classic defiant style.
“Daddy, I’m sorry, but I beat your favorite driver, folks!” Hamlin, responding to a mixed reaction from fans, bellowed into the microphone during his initial post-race interview on the frontstretch.
"I beat your favorite driver."@dennyhamlin has fun with the crowd after his win in Michigan 👀 #NASCARonPrime pic.twitter.com/wDTw9C3l1D
— Sports on Prime (@SportsonPrime) June 8, 2025
Hamlin hadn’t used the “I beat your favorite driver” refrain in quite some time, previously citing his father’s personal disdain for it. But the veteran driver couldn’t seem to help himself on Sunday.
Chris Buescher Points Finger At Himself For Falling Short
While Denny Hamlin basked in the afterglow of his win, Chris Buescher lamented what might have been.
Suffice to say Buescher was less than thrilled to finish second at the track located just over an hour from Ford’s corporate headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.
“I’m disappointed I didn’t get it done,” said Buescher, whose Ford led 13 laps but trailed Hamlin’s Toyota at the end by just over a second. “It’s on me. I had a couple different decisions I would love to go back and make and that ultimately should have had us ahead of the 11 (Hamlin). We were faster on the day, and I didn’t do a good enough job.
“It’s frustrating to be that close and to know that we had a car that was capable of winning. I just needed to do a better job.”
