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The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

The Independent Voice of Southern Methodist University Since 1915

The Daily Campus

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Denny Hamlin wins Daytona 500

Denny Hamlin wins Daytona 500

Denny Hamlin won the 58th running Daytona 500 Feb. 21 in a historic win by a few inches.

Hamlin surged past Martin Truex Jr. winning by 0.01 of a second; making it the closets finish in Daytona 500 history.

“I don’t know what happened,” Hamlin told the New York Times Sunday. “I can’t figure it out. It’s the pinnacle of my career, for sure. There is no better feeling than I have right now. I didn’t know we had won, but I knew it was close.”

Hamlin held the lead in the first 94 of 155 laps in the race. He was fourth heading into the final lap at Daytona International Speedway. He waited until the fourth turn on the final lap before finding a gap and surging through to meet Truex at the front.

Truex, who lost by inches, contemplated what he could have done differently.

“I think the only thing I should have done different was being a little more aggressive coming to the line, holding Denny up the racetrack,” Truex said to the New York Times. “That last split second, when he pulled off my door that was it. It gave him a couple of inches to beat me to the line.”

It was also the first time for a driver driving a Toyota to win the race. Four of the top 5 drivers were driving Toyota Camerys, another reason why it was a historic race.

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Tweet from Denny Hamlin's mother

After the race was over, Hamlin’s mother, Mary Lou Hamlin, posted a picture to twitter of a handwritten note from Hamlin in elementary school. The first line of the note said, “My wish is to win the Daytona 500.”

This was Hamlin’s 11th try at winning the Daytona 500. His wish finally came true Sunday.

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