Denny Hamlin had a few tracks on which he needed to add to his list of wins, and Nashville Superspeedway was one where a Hamlin and JGR win was overdue. He checked that off his list in style.

But for his JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs, Hamlin's win took her back in time. She said, “We couldn’t be more proud of him. I think when we were kind of looking at some of the history and having Kyle Busch win in 2009… a lot of incredible memories that Joe Gibbs Racing is able to celebrate at Nashville, which is incredible. And again, back to our team. Just so proud of them.”

Like Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch's Nashville victory came after a prolonged wait. Busch first drove the Superspeedway in 2004, but it wasn't until 2009 that he won the Auto Parts race.

While that win is now sensationalised by the guitar smash, Busch fought hard for that victory, beating Brad Keselowski by under a second to take the 18 JGR Toyota to Victory Lane. He also left black scorch marks on the track when his rear tires caught on fire mid-burnout.

Heather also shared in the pain of the Busch family, having lost her own husband, Coy Gibbs. “Just really wanted to say with first Samatha and Brexton and Lennix, I know it’s been a week, but just because it’s been a week for everybody else, seeing you go back to the track and time goes on, it doesn’t.

" I can say firsthand, it doesn’t stop; you don’t feel it. So I want them to know that we are just keeping them in our prayers and thinking about them."

In the race, Hamlin drove through the pack and led 57 laps before coming out on top of a three-way JGR fight to the finish line after green flag racing was restored with four laps to go. JGR had never taken a Cup win at Nashville before. 

Speaking about Hamlin’s win, Heather Gibbs said, “At the start of the race, we were a little concerned because Chris(Gayle) had to be with the restart violation, but we are really proud of him. I mean, it just tells you he’s the most seasoned veteran in the sport, and he’s the best driver out there right now by far.”

Hamlin took the checkered flag and paid his tribute to his teammate of 15 years, Kyle Busch, by pulling out his iconic bow. With that win, Hamlin is now one win off Kyle Busch’s 63 wins in the Cup series. 

JGR is happy with Chase Briscoe

While Hamlin won, his teammates completed a photo finish for the JGR Toyota team. Christopher Bell finished 2nd with Chase Briscoe rounding out the top 3 in the 19 JGR. 

Briscoe in the 19 Toyota sits 14th in the leaderboard, a precarious position with 12 races in the regular season. Briscoe has had a topsy-turvy season, in which he’s finished in the top 5 five times and DNF’d 3 times. He has only one other top 10 finish. Despite this, JGR is still backing him.

Heather Gibbs said, “It’s just kind of been crazy circumstances. They come every week with speed. I think they’ve caught up; they’ve had mechanicals. I don’t think we’ve ever had any doubt about that team. James Small, they do such a good job preparing.”

She further added, “I think with Chase, he’s a great driver. We couldn’t be happier having him with our team. And I think they’re gonna be fine. They’re gonna keep building momentum.”

While JGR is happy with Briscoe, there isn’t a worry about their other drivers going into the Chase with Hamlin in 2nd, Ty Gibbs in 5th, and Christopher Bell in 7th in the standings 14 races into the season.

You can read more on the Daytona Racing Digest!

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason