Denny Hamlin claimed a dramatic NASCAR Cup Series victory at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, managing his fuel to perfection in the closing laps while teammate Ty Gibbs was left rueing what might have been in a frustrating third-place finish.
The veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver secured his third win of the 2025 season — and 57th career triumph — with a cool-headed drive that culminated in his No. 11 Toyota running out of fuel just after celebrating with a brief round of burnouts. Hamlin was towed to Victory Lane, where he praised his team’s execution and reflected on a long-awaited Michigan success.
“This whole team just stepped up,” said Hamlin. “We’ve been so fast this entire year, just haven’t finished it for one reason or another, so it feels good to come to Michigan, where we’ve been so close the last couple of years.”
Hamlin’s measured progress through the field was key. With 20 laps remaining, he had worked his way from 11th to fifth, running behind front-runners William Byron and Carson Hocevar. But Hocevar suffered a flat tyre while leading and was forced to pit with 19 laps remaining. Byron, who had led a race-high 98 laps, then had to dive to pit road for fuel with just four to go, clearing the path for Hamlin’s victory.
“Sorry, but I beat your favourite driver,” a grinning Hamlin quipped to the energetic Michigan crowd.
While Hamlin celebrated, his JGR teammate Ty Gibbs had a rather different reaction to the final laps. The 22-year-old, seeking his maiden Cup Series win, was left frustrated by a conservative fuel-saving strategy that limited his chance to challenge for the lead.
“Yeah, it’s just unfortunate because I feel like we had the capability to go do it,” said Gibbs. “I feel like we showed we were fast enough… I was going to go until we were going to run out of fuel. I didn’t run out of fuel yet. That was my plan.”
Running at only 70–80% throttle in the final green-flag stint, Gibbs kept pace but never made a full push for the win. His crew chief Tyler Allen defended the approach, saying the team was too close on fuel to risk it.
“We had to do what was best for our finish for the day,” Allen said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t going to make it on fuel, and that wouldn’t have done any good to our team and our point situation.”
Despite the frustrations, Gibbs delivered his best result since April’s race at Bristol, after qualifying eighth and running competitively throughout. JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs — Ty’s mother — saw the day as a learning opportunity.
“There’s so much to learn. I mean, it’s so hard. Sundays are hard,” she said. “All the veterans have so much experience… hopefully, the momentum will move forward. It was a great day.”
Behind the JGR duo, Chris Buescher secured second place, with Bubba Wallace — in a Toyota co-owned by Hamlin — finishing fourth. Kyle Larson rounded out the top five. Ross Chastain, Zane Smith (with a season-best seventh), Kyle Busch, Ryan Preece, and Brad Keselowski completed the top 10, marking the first time all three RFK Racing cars have cracked the top 10 in the same race this year.
There were 13 lead changes among 11 drivers during the 200-lap contest, which also featured a red flag early on after a multi-car incident. Alex Bowman’s crash extended his run of poor finishes — his seventh result of 25th or worse in the last nine starts.
With 11 races left in the regular season, William Byron remains atop the points standings, 41 ahead of Larson. Nine drivers have now recorded wins in 2025.
Next up, the Cup Series heads abroad to Mexico City for the inaugural Viva Mexico 250 at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez — a first for NASCAR’s premier division on Mexican soil. For both Hamlin and Gibbs, it’s another chance to chase victory, though one leaves Michigan with momentum — and the other with unfinished business.
