NASCAR Michigan takeaways: Denny Hamlin's late-career strength, Ty Gibbs' frustration and more
BROOKLYN, Mich. — When 44-year-old Denny Hamlin recently went 11 months without winning a NASCAR Cup Series race, his most sought-after career goal seemed to be slipping away.
No, we're not talking about a Cup championship — even though Hamlin is the best NASCAR driver never to win one. Hamlin would absolutely love a title, of course, but championships have a different meaning to some drivers these days with the playoff elimination system.
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What Hamlin wants the most? To finish his career among the top 10 on NASCAR's all-time Cup Series wins list. And reeling off three more victories in less than two and a half months, including Sunday at Michigan International Speedway, suddenly makes that goal a bit more realistic.
Hamlin now has 57 career wins, which is three away from tying Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time list. And the burst of momentum has left him speaking a bit differently about it.
At first, Hamlin repeatedly said the goal was that 60-win mark. Then he said actually he'd like to win 61 so he could be in sole possession of 10th.
But listen to him now after Sunday's win.
'At least while I'm alive, I want to be in the top 10 for the most wins,' he said.
OK, but that's going to take even more than 61, Hamlin figures.
'I've got to count on possibly (Joey) Logano, more than likely (Kyle) Larson overtaking us in wins,' he said. 'You've got to budget for at least a couple of these guys who started so much younger than I did to beat us on the win total.'
After Harvick, Kyle Busch is ninth with 63 career wins. Can Hamlin finish with more than Busch, who is still trying to add more himself? That seems like a big ask for someone who might only race for another couple seasons.
After all, Hamlin recently passed 700 starts and said he won't be around for 800 (there are 36 races per year).
'I'm going to hate it when I'm not at the level I'm at now,' Hamlin said. 'I certainly will retire very, very quickly after that. I'm not going to hang around and do it just to do it. This is how I want to spend my last season — still winning.'
We've seen other drivers suddenly stop winning in their mid-40s with virtually no warning, and Hamlin is already in rare territory: Only 10 of the 20 drivers who have made more than 700 career starts have won after their 700th race (a list which now includes Hamlin) and only six have even won multiple races.
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Hamlin likes his chances of getting a few more, but he's also realistic: These races are hard to win, and Sunday could have been it.
'You have another birthday (and) you keep wondering how long are you going to be able to keep doing this at this level?' said Hamlin, who turns 45 in November. 'Listen, 57 (wins) might be it. None of us in this room know. I'm at least going to enjoy it as if it's my last, then I'll go to work on Monday, just like I always have.'
Denny gets it done at @MISpeedway! pic.twitter.com/Ju16gklU3m
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 8, 2025
As Hamlin celebrated in victory lane, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Ty Gibbs was parked just behind the winner's circle backdrop — and in a much less cheerful mode.
In fact, Gibbs was outright pissed. He wasn't having any of the consolation talk from his team or family, was uninterested in the moral victory of finishing third and brushed off a rear-end smack from his grandfather, Hall of Fame football coach Joe Gibbs.
Gibbs, expected to contend for a playoff spot this year and win his first career race, has had a frustrating season. Michigan was only his second top-five finish, and he felt he was close enough to compete for the victory — especially since his teammate Hamlin was on a similar fuel strategy.
'I would rather go win,' the driver said. 'I don't come here to run third and run half-throttle on the straightaway, but it's what they thought we needed to do.'
Gibbs was continuously instructed to save more gas, even when he was tracking down race leaders Hamlin and William Byron with four laps to go; the team urged him to back off just when it looked like he could have made a pass.
'He doesn't know how much we saved or if we were going to run out,' crew chief Tyler Allen said. 'So he's frustrated because he could see it and he was fast enough to go take it. Unfortunately, we weren't going to make it on fuel, and that wouldn't have done any good to our team and our points situation.'
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But Gibbs disagreed, saying he saved enough fuel to go harder and ended the race without having to flip his reserve fuel switch (indicating there was perhaps another lap or so remaining).
'I was told to save more, and it's just frustrating for me,' Gibbs said. 'I would have loved to be more aggressive there.'
Carson Hocevar was again a hot topic at Michigan after he led a career-high 32 laps before getting a flat tire while leading the race. But one thing that didn't happen, at least for now: On-track payback from Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
After it seemed destined for Stenhouse to retaliate against Hocevar for their Nashville incident, the two spoke last week by phone — as did their crew chiefs and Spire Motorsports owner Jeff Dickerson with Stenhouse.
The bottom line: Given their positions on the playoff bubble, it would be silly to continue the war.
'They all feel really bad about it and they can't give us back our points that we lost,' Stenhouse said Saturday. 'But if we get in a pissing match and I crash him this weekend and then we go back and forth, that does none of us good.'
Still, Stenhouse said, Hocevar is on thin ice — not just with him, but the garage. After their Nashville incident, Stenhouse said, he received numerous texts from other competitors and team members who urged the veteran to either wreck Hocevar on purpose or fight Hocevar like Stenhouse did with Kyle Busch at last year's All-Star Race.
'It was a lot,' Stenhouse said of the volume of texts. 'It was kind of shocking. So I just told him that.'
Hocevar reminded Stenhouse they've had no issues previously — and they actually communicate on occasion when Hocevar asks Stenhouse about his sprint car team. Stenhouse agreed they haven't had a problem before, but there's no third chance coming.
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'If it becomes a routine or it happens again…' Stenhouse said. 'As fast as your cars have been, you don't want to keep making people mad.'
One group who doesn't seem mad? The fans at Michigan. Hocevar got one of the loudest cheers in driver introductions when walking out in front of his home crowd.
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports were dealt a blow last week when the U.S. Court of Appeals' Fourth Circuit overturned a preliminary injunction that allowed the teams to race as charter teams in 2025. Barring any further appeals, the teams could be reduced to running as 'open' cars as soon as next month.
But 23XI co-owner Hamlin said the teams remain 'very confident' in their lawsuit overall, drawing a sharp distinction between the case and the preliminary injunction decision.
'That's just such a small part of the entire litigation,' Hamlin said of the appeals court's decision. 'So I'm not deterred at all that we're in good shape.'
What could change for the teams in the near future? Aside from taking a significant dip in money earned from each race, Hamlin said there won't be much difference.
'Same as what we said in December: We're committed to run this season open if we have to,' Hamlin said. 'We're going to race and fulfill all of our commitments no matter what. Our team is going to be here for the long haul, and we're confident of that.'
As for the 23XI drivers, whose contracts allow them to become free agents if the organization does not provide them with charter cars, they were tight-lipped.
'I'm going to keep doing my part to try and show up as prepared as possible and continue winning races,' Tyler Reddick said. '… I've got to stay focused on what I can control. And that's my preparation.'
Bubba Wallace cited Marshawn Lynch's 'I'm just here so I don't get fined' and said, 'you're not going to get an answer you want to hear from us.'
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'Come on, now,' Wallace said when another reporter tried to broach the topic. 'Let's talk about Michigan, dawg. You ain't getting no comment.'
But whether they want to talk about it or not, losing charters could be a massive hit long term. The ripple effect if 23XI and Front Row don't get those charters back during the legal process would last for years and threaten the organizations' existences.
Before finishing fourth on Sunday to record back-to-back top-six finishes, Wallace had some fun on X when NASCAR released the list of its inaugural in-season tournament competitors last week — in alphabetical order, meaning his name was last.
'Bubbles last like he always is,' Wallace captioned the tournament list in a quote-tweet.
'Bubbles' is just one of the derogatory nicknames used by Wallace's detractors, but he hasn't let go of his trolling nature on social media. After all, he pointed out, even his X header image is a troll post: A cartoon depiction of NASCAR's Mount Rushmore — showing Petty, Earnhardt, Johnson and … Wallace.
Wallace said he sticks his shoe in ant hills in real life, and this is no different.
'It's the boomers who are actually pissed off,' he said. 'They're probably just punching air because I beat them to their own comments. So yeah, that brings me joy.'
Chase Briscoe became the first driver in more than two years to win three consecutive pole positions (Kyle Larson in spring 2024), starting first at the Coke 600, Nashville and now Michigan.
But Briscoe, who is yet to win this season, is too close to the playoff bubble for comfort after another disappointing result on Sunday (23rd). He said he's taken note of the mentality carried by his beloved Indiana Pacers — who stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder with a Game 1 comeback in the NBA Finals before getting blown out on Sunday night in Game 2.
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'It's the 'never give up' part,' he said. 'We've seen that even throughout my career. There was a time we were four laps down in one race and got back on the lead lap. It's definitely been fun to see a basketball team have that same mentality of never giving up.
'A lot of teams (give up) if they're down nine points with two minutes left, but the Pacers have continued to come back from huge deficits even when the other team thinks the game is already over. There's definitely something to that.'
(Top photo of Denny Hamlin celebrating Sunday's win: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
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[This story first appeared in the Fall 2010 issue of MotorTrend Classic] If you're too young to understand the appeal of the first Honda Civic CRX, consider the first Apple iPod. It put out five to 10 gigabytes, came only in snow white with a chrome silver backing, and held 1000 to 2000 songs. It inspired industrial designers working on various projects to try and capture the essence of its cool design in cars and other products. Even if the original iPod is mostly forgotten, it taught the PC world something important about Apple's irresistible design aesthetic. Eighteen years earlier, the 76-horsepower 1984 Honda Civic CRX was a revelation in a world in which the epitome of affordable performance was the 190-horsepower, Chevy Camaro Z/28. On paper, the CRX—Civic Renaissance Model X—with its 12-valve, 1488cc single-overhead-cam aluminum four, compound vortex combustion chamber, and Keihin three-barrel carburetor, was no more impressive than a 10 GB iPod. There are more important numbers. For the iPod, it was: You're holding 2000 of your favorite songs in your hand. For the CRX, it was: The car weighs 1800 pounds, following Colin Chapman's philosophy: 'Adding power makes you faster in the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.' MotorTrend's first road test in the December 1983 issue bench-raced a natural competitor, the new Pontiac Fiero. 'As it stands, the Fiero is heavier, not quite as quick, less economical, and a lot more expensive than the CRX 1.5,' Kevin Smith wrote on his way to becoming one of several journos to buy a CRX. What really impressed the automotive press is that the 1984 CRX was one of four new Civics Honda introduced at once, all of which were segment leaders: the ultra-modern hatchback, the extra-versatile wagon, and the preternatural premium small car, the sedan. Honda and the uninformed masses called the CRX a commuter car and focused in on the $6100 HF. With a 58-horse CVCC, eight-valve 1.3-liter and five-speed manual, the HF was the most fuel-efficient vehicle sold in the U.S., rated 51/67 mpg at the time, 38/47 mpg using current EPA standards. The CRX was really a sports car. Front suspension consisted of struts—sprung with torsion bars instead of coils—and an anti-roll bar. The innovative rear suspension worked like a beam-axle but a bearing in the center makes it semi-independent. There was also an anti-roll bar. It was perfect for slicing and dicing through urban traffic, with unassisted steering offering great feel and feedback. Turning radius was an amazing 28.2 feet, good for quick U-turns when that space in front of the coffee shop suddenly opened. EPA fuel mileage was 36/49 mpg according to our spec sheet. The modern numbers are 28/35 mpg for the standard 1.5-liter and five-speed manual (slightly less for California or the three-speed automatic). The flip side is a dearth of sound insulation to keep out road, wind, and engine noise. That flips it back to its sports car appeal. Steering, handling, brakes, all feel direct, an extension of the driver. The urbanite owner could let loose on weekends and take it out to the country and look for twisty roads. In MotorTrend's 1984 Import Car of the Year contest, the Honda CRX and Civic scored just behind the BMW 318i in roadholding and beat it in the slalom: CRX at 6.62 seconds, Civic S at 6.65, and 318i at 6.81 seconds. We gave the award to the CRX, with the Civic scoring second and the Prelude third. For 1985, Honda added the CRX Si, with programmed fuel injection replacing the single downdraft carb. Horsepower increased by 15 to 91 in the Si and peaked 500 rpm lower, at 5500. Wheels were a half-inch wider to accommodate new 175/70R13 tires, though in the March 1985 issue, MT found the Michelins 'woefully inadequate to handle the torque of the responsive four-banger'—now, 93 pound-feet at 4500 rpm, up from 84 pound-feet at 3500. MT's skidpad figure dropped to 0.80 g from 0.82. The CRX's 0-to-60-mph time vastly improved, though, from 10.2 seconds for the '84 to 8.2 seconds for the '85 Si. Just as the carbureted CRX 1.5 was quicker than the four-cylinder Pontiac Fiero, the fuel-injected 1.5 was quicker than the new Fiero V-6. From 1985 on, the CRX came with three trim levels, HF, DX ( still carbureted), and Si. For 1986 and 1987, Honda replaced the Civic line's recessed sealed-beam headlamps with flush, aerodynamic lenses. The DX's optional automatic was now a four-speed with lockup torque converter, and the HF got a cleaner, 1.5-liter eight-valve engine. Inside, the Si, DX, and HF got new door panel inserts with fabric to match the two seats. Outside, the Si got new body-color lower panels and 185/60R14 Yokohamas. This mid-cycle refresh came with a weight gain. The DX, which was the 1802-pound '84 model, crept up to 1866 pounds by '87. The Si was up 123 pounds for '86, to 1953 and then to 1978 for '87. Mark Wanzel's first CRX was an '84 1.5; his second was an '85 Si; and now, so is his third. At 37, Wanzel might relate to the iPod metaphor, if not for his father, who took him to club races at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, in the mid-'80s. 'You'd see fleets of CRXs racing, along with MR2s, RX-7s, Fieros, Rabbit GTIs, and Sciroccos,' Wanzel recalls. The CRXs have been his daily drivers, though he also owns a '92 Acura Integra. Canada didn't get the Si until '87, and Wanzel prefers the lighter-weight, recessed-headlamp '85. He bought this red Arizona car for US$2500 and uses his previous Si, a black '85, for parts. We like original cars in Classic, but Wanzel's CRX has some period-correct modifications. In place of his '85 Si's U.S.-spec D16 SOHC engine, this car has Honda's ZC engine, a 16-valve, 1.6-liter DOHC four, also with programmed fuel injection, the 130-horsepower European-market CRX Si engine also used in the CRX-based 1986-89 Acura Integra. Rated 113 horsepower in the Integra, it's available as a remanufactured engine from Japan. Wanzel spent 15 years trying to find his car's Mugen Power CF 48 wheel rims. His red CRX also has a Mugen Power paint-matched rear lip spoiler and three-spoke steering wheel. Finally, Wanzel's CRX has adjustable Koni shocks, 'because OEM shocks are no longer available.' He takes advantage of the adjustable torsion bars to lower his Honda. Wanzel and his fiancé, Julie, drove it from Barrie, Ontario, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the lowest setting and never bottomed out. After Wanzel raised the suspension for our photography, he noticed his car had a better ride with no handling degradation. Steering feels heavier than my '87 DX, and the five-speed gearbox is notchier. The clutch is light and progressive. The CRX launches like most Hondas, bereft of low-end torque, but progresses very quickly, courtesy of maybe 13.9 pounds per horsepower, and you find yourself reaching the 7000-rpm redline easily. Steering is as advertised. Simple, intuitive controls with ball-bearing feel are user-friendly, and unlike a modern Mini Cooper or Mazda Miata, there's no traction or stability control to shut off. The car makes quick, sharp left-right transitions, good for city traffic slaloms and canyon roads. Turn-in is sharp, and you can go from mild front-drive understeer to tucking in the tail by lifting throttle mid-turn. Get back into the throttle, and the CRX maintains its momentum, as you'd expect from a car that doesn't tip a ton. 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