Joe Gibbs Racing enjoys historic, emotional 1-2-3 finish in Daytona 500

Joe Gibbs Racing not only won the 61st annual Daytona 500 with driver Denny Hamlin, but teammates Kyle Busch and Erik Jones also made it a 1-2-3 sweep of the top positions by finishing right behind Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx Toyota. It was the first time a team swept the top three positions in the Daytona 500 since Hendrick Motorsports accomplished the feat in 1997 with Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Ricky Craven.

For Hamlin, it was his second time winning the Daytona 500 — the first was in 2016 in a razor-close finish against Martin Truex Jr. — and it ended a winless drought that stretched back to the 2017 Southern 500. The Daytona 500 victory also came on the same day that Hamlin’s crew held up a sign in tribute to another No. 11, J.D. Gibbs, the beloved co-chairman of JGR who passed away a little more than a month ago.

RELATED: JGR pit crews, team honor J.D. Gibbs

Owner Joe Gibbs was overcome with emotion during his post-race interview with FOX as he tried to put in to words what the victory and 1-2-3 finish meant to him and the team.

“What happened right here, J.D.’s name is on that car,” Joe Gibbs said. “That’s his No. 11 with Denny, he found Denny. I’m just saying what happened here was emotional for all of us, the family. Denny racing like he did right there is unbelievable.”

This story will be updated.

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