Long: The win in Las Vegas provided a special father-son moment for Denny Hamlin
LAS VEGAS – Fathers and Sons connect the past with the present, providing the pivotal connections in NASCAR through the Bettis, Allisons, Baker, Jarretts, Earnhardt and Elliott.
But such a connection is equally strong for a son whose father did not compete in NASCAR but passed on a love of stock car racing to him.
Denny Hamlin completed his dramatic comeback with tears, a trembling voice, and devotion to his ailing father Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“I want to say hi to my dad,” Hamlin said as his voice almost cracked in his USA Network interview.
The Joe Gibbs Racing star pulls from a humble pit stop to take the win after the final restart.
It was his father who got Hamlin into motorsports and made the financial sacrifices to keep his son racing until it became too expensive, beginning Hamlin’s path to Sunday’s emotional moment.
After passing Kyle Larson and passing teammate Chase Briscoe for the lead over the final five laps, Hamlin became the first driver to secure a spot in next month’s championship race at Phoenix. This will be the 44-year-old’s fifth appearance as he bids for his first cup title.
Hamlin’s win tied him with Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time Cup wins list at 60, but it couldn’t have happened without the support of his family and the support of another son and father.
Win No. 60 in Las Vegas “means a lot” to Hamlin
Denny Hamlin shares the emotions of his 60th NASCAR Cup Series win and how his team made the necessary adjustments to “move on” and punch its ticket to Phoenix.
J.D. Gibbs, the late son of car owner Joe Gibbs, pushed his father to hire Hamlin more than 20 years ago. J.D. Gibbs was at a test to see other drivers but was impressed by Hamlin, who was there preparing the car for others to drive.
Eventually, J.D. Gibbs convinced his father to sign Hamlin, who had never captained any other Cup team in his 719 Cup debut.
“My dad told J.D. a long time ago, ‘He’s yours now. You’ve gotten him to this point, but take care of him,'” Hamlin said Sunday. “J.D. was my dad on the road, my dad in the track. When JD passed away, it’s more about Joe now.”
“I think father figures are really important to make sure you’re doing the right things. They’re the ones that keep you on track in life. They’re your buffers. I know I do weird things and say weird things sometimes, but I always know that in the end I have to answer to a higher power. And down on the ground here is Joe. So I always appreciate that he lets me be me. He never asks me to change and maybe I should change sometimes.”
“I see it as family. The relationship and bond is very close. So I’m very grateful for what his family has done for me. … Everything I’ve got I owe to the Gibbs family.”
“I have two parents. One is at home and the other is here.”
The Joe Gibbs Racing star qualifies for his fourth championship with the 60th win of his career.
Hamlin gives his father another chance to see his son win a championship. But Hamlin’s quest also helps keep J.D. Gibbs’ memory alive. J.D. Gibbs died in January 2019 at the age of 49.
A month later Hamlin won the second of three Daytona 500s.
“The race after J.D. went to be with the Lord, to me, is the greatest sports race I’ve ever been in,” said Joe Gibbs, a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Sunday’s celebration was apparently intended for another driver before Hamlin’s late indictment.
Hamlin finds another tool to win the South Pointe 400
Marty Snyder, Dale Jarrett and Brad Dougherty discuss Denny Hamlin’s will to win and how he can continue to reach elite levels at 44 years old.
Briscoe led on the final restart with 14 laps to go but only had two new tires. Larson, who was using four new tires, moved to second place 12 laps from the end. Hamlin got into third place a lap later which complicated Larson’s bid for the win.
“I was trying everything I could to keep (Hamlin’s) lines out while also staying aggressive,” Larson said. “It was difficult to act from my position because he was a little faster than me. I was a little faster than (Briscoe).”
With his 60th career win, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver secured his fifth Championship 4 position.
Hamlin ran along the wall to pass Larson and briefly overtook him before Larson briefly pulled in front of him.
“He got to the outside in (turns) three and four,” Larson said. “I drove the car hard in (turns) one and two and coming out of the corners I could have easily crashed myself, so I was taking a big risk on my end.”
But that wasn’t enough. Hamlin passed Larson and then passed Briscoe with four laps remaining.
“I prayed in (Turn) 3 with two going without any caution,” Hamlin said. “I try not to ask for prayer for things that don’t really matter, like competition (smiles). I needed to see this all the way through. So I borrowed, and I asked for a favor on this.”
When the checkered flag waved, Hamlin secured the emotional win.
He later saw his father sending him a text message. Hamlin is looking forward to the conversation they will have.
What does Hamelin plan to tell his father when they talk?
“Just thank you, because he sacrificed his life and my mom’s life to make my dreams come true,” Hamlin said.