9781422270783

WINS FIRST DAYTONA 500 . . . Hamlin snuck into the winner’s circle on NASCAR’s biggest day by the smallest of margins at the 2016 Daytona 500 while making history at the same time. Entering the final lap in fourth place, with hopes of taking the checkered flag fading fast, Hamlin moved past Kyle Busch into third place. He then boldly dipped down from the wall on the final turn of the famed 2½-mile oval, squeezing between leader Matt Kenseth and Martin Truex Jr., who was hugging the inside and somehow nosed out Truex at the finish line by .011 seconds, the closest finish in race history. The photo finish revealed Hamlin won by mere inches—and the margin of victory was less time than it takes to blink your eyes! The stunning finish produced Hamlin’s first coveted Daytona 500 title, and it was the first for team owner Joe Gibbs since Dale Jarrett’s win back in 1993.

Denny Hamlin won his first Daytona 500 by edging Martin Truex Jr. in a thrilling photo finish in 2016.

11

Greatest Moments