Denny Hamlin’s Daytona 500 victory gave Joe Gibbs Racing the NASCAR equivalent of the Tiger Slam.
It’s the first time since 2012-13 that one Sprint Cup organization has collected consecutive victories in the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500. Hendrick Motorsports last accomplished the feat.
While winning the four major events in golf or tennis is considered a grand slam, winning them in a row in different calendar years is referred to as the Tiger Slam for Tiger Woods when he won all four PGA events in a row (2000-01).
Joe Gibbs Racing’s streak of winning NASCAR’s four most prestigious races began with Carl Edwards’ victory in the Coca-Cola 600 last May. Kyle Busch won the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July. Edwards won the Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend and then Hamlin won Sunday’s Daytona 500. Add to that, Busch won the Sprint Cup title last year and Hamlin won the Sprint All-Star race.
Hendrick Motorsports’ slam started with Jimmie Johnson winning the 2012 Southern 500. Kasey Kahne followed with a victory in the Coca-Cola 600. Johnson then won the Brickyard 400 that season and finished the feat by winning the 2013 Daytona 500 — after he had won the 2012 title.
Here’s a look at wins in the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400 and Southern 500 by drivers and teams since 2010 (total 25 races):
DRIVERS:
Jimmie Johnson … 4
Kevin Harvick … 3
Carl Edwards … 2
Denny Hamlin … 2
Matt Kenseth … 2
Jamie McMurray … 2
Trevor Bayne … 1
Kurt Busch … 1
Kyle Busch … 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. … 1
Jeff Gordon … 1
Kasey Kahne … 1
Joey Logano … 1
Paul Menard … 1
Ryan Newman … 1
Regan Smith … 1
TEAMS:
Hendrick Motorsports … 7
Joe Gibbs Racing … 6
Richard Childress Racing … 3
Chip Ganassi Racing … 2
Stewart-Haas Racing … 2
Team Penske … 2
Furniture Row Racing … 1
Roush Fenway Racing … 1
Wood Brothers Racing … 1