DAYTONA

worked out well.”

Hamlin finished third last February to begin a fruitless season in his No. 11 car.

This time Hamlin held his ground, with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch on his tail and still seeking his first win at the Great American Race. Joey Logano, the 2015 Daytona 500 winner, passed Busch and looked to pressure Hamlin, who would not be denied.

This would be no photo finish like in 2016 when Hamlin held off Martin Truex Jr. at the end.

On Sunday, Hamlin coasted to the win ahead of Busch. Erik Jones, another Gibbs racer and winner of 2018 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, finished third. Logano followed.

Hamlin, a Tampa, Fla., native who grew up in Virginia, dedicated the win to J.D. Gibbs, who died last month at age 49 following a four-year battle with a degenerative neurological disease. Gibbs co-founded Joe Gibbs Racing with his father and drove a No. 11 car himself during his days as a racer.

“This one is for J.D.,” Hamlin said. “We are desperately going to miss