Denny Hamlin paid tribute to his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch, following his win at Michigan International Speedway, by holding a black No. 18 flag out the window of his car as he burned out his tires.
Hamlin tied Busch for ninth on the all-time win list in the NASCAR Cup Series on Sunday with his victory in the FireKeepers Casino 400.
“Truthfully, I had to outlive him to tie him,” Hamlin told reporters following the race. “He was an amazing teammate. He taught me so much at tracks like this. I just can’t say enough.”
The NASCAR driver said there was a bit of coordination to work through in order to pay tribute to Busch due to certain trademarks.
“I just wanted to pay my respects to someone that I really did look up to and taught me so much as a teammate,” he said. “There’s nothing we can say or do that’s gonna make his family feel better, but at least during that little time you can pay him the respects that he deserves.”
Busch died on May 21 after pneumonia progressed “into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications,” his family announced following his death.
The NASCAR great had been discovered unresponsive while testing a racing simulator in Concord, N.C., on May 20 and was taken to a hospital in Charlotte.
Busch’s death stunned the NASCAR community and his family, and he left behind a wife, Samantha, and two kids, Brexton and Lennix.
Samantha made her first public comment since Busch’s death in an Instagram post on Friday, thanking everyone who has supported her and her family.
“From family and friends to fans and complete strangers, thank you for showing up for us,” Samantha wrote in her statement. “Thank you for loving our family so well. Thank you for loving Kyle. Thank you for honoring him. We may never find the words to fully express what your support has meant to us, but please know that we are deeply grateful,” she wrote.