Denny Hamlin, awaiting son's birth, wins at Michigan

BROOKLYN, Mich. - Denny Hamlin is pulling disconnected rather a juggling act.

Hamlin outlasted the contention astatine Michigan International Speedway for his 3rd NASCAR Cup Series triumph of the play and 57th of his career, juggling his roles arsenic a driver, expectant begetter and co-owner of a racing squad that's suing NASCAR.

"The tackle container is full," Hamlin said Sunday. "There's each kinds of worldly going on."

Hamlin, successful the No. 11 Toyota, went debased to walk William Byron connected the 197th of 200 laps and pulled distant from the battalion to triumph by much than a 2nd implicit Chris Buescher.

"Just worked implicit the guys 1 by one, giving them antithetic looks," helium said.

Ty Gibbs finished third, matching a play best, followed by Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson.

The 44-year-old Hamlin was prepared to permission his squad to articulation his fiancée, Jordan Fish, who is owed to springiness commencement to their 3rd child, a boy. If she was successful labour by Lap 50 oregon sooner astatine Michigan, helium was prepared to permission the track.

Hamlin said helium would skip adjacent week's contention successful Mexico City if indispensable to witnesser the birth.

To adhd thing other to Hamlin's plate, helium is besides co-owner of 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, which is progressive successful a suit against NASCAR.

He drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, which hadn't won astatine Michigan successful a decade.

"I deliberation it's the astir underrated way that we spell to," said Hamlin, who has won 3 times connected the 2-mile oval.

Hamlin became JGR's winningest driver, surpassing Kyle Busch's 56 victories, and the 10th operator successful NASCAR past to triumph aft his 700th start.

"It feels bully due to the fact that I'm going to hatred it erstwhile I'm not astatine the level I'm astatine now," helium said. "I volition surely discontinue precise quicky aft that."

Hamlin's squad acceptable him up with capable substance to triumph portion galore drivers, including Byron, ran retired of state precocious successful the race.

"It truly stings," said Byron, the points leader, who was a season-worst 28th. "We conscionable burned much (fuel) and not capable to bash overmuch astir that."

Hamlin, meanwhile, wasn't connected bare until his celebratory burnout was chopped short.

Pole-sitter Chase Briscoe was retired beforehand until Byron passed him connected Lap 12. Buescher pulled up connected Lap 36 and stayed up beforehand to triumph his archetypal signifier this season.

Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott took turns with the pb earlier a clang involving Alex Bowman brought retired the reddish emblem connected Lap 67.

Byron took the pb again aft a restart connected Lap 78 arsenic portion of his beardown commencement and surged to the beforehand again to triumph the 2nd stage.

Carson Hocevar took the pb connected Lap 152 and was informed soon thereafter that helium didn't person capable substance to finish, but that became moot due to the fact that a level tyre forced him into the pits with 18 laps to go.

Hocevar faded to a 29th-place finish, a week aft helium was 2nd to lucifer a vocation champion astatine Nashville, wherever helium created a buzz with an assertive determination that knocked Ricky Stenhouse Jr. retired of the race.

Rough times for Bowman

Bowman deed a partition with the beforehand extremity of his No. 48 Chevrolet arsenic portion of a multi-car clang successful his latest setback.

"That wounded a lot," helium said aft passing a aesculapian evaluation. "That was astir apt apical of the committee connected hits I've taken."

Bowman, who drives for Hendrick Motorsports, came to Michigan 12th successful points and volition permission little successful the standings. He has finished 27th oregon worse successful 7 of his past 9 starts and didn't decorativeness for a 3rd clip during the pugnacious stretch.

Reddick rallies

Defending contention champion Tyler Reddick qualified 12th, but started past successful the 36-car tract due to the fact that of unapproved adjustments and rallied to decorativeness 13th.

Up next

NASCAR shifts to Mexico City for its archetypal points-paying planetary contention successful modern past connected June 15.