Revisiting closest Daytona 500 finish ever recorded ft. Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.

During the 2016 Daytona 500 race at Daytona International Speedway, former Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. battled for the checkered flag and the Harley J. Earl trophy for a chance to etch their name in sport's history.

The two veteran NASCAR drivers, Hamlin and Truex Jr. have been part of the sport for over two decades. They began their careers in the same 2006 Cup Series Rookie Class and later became teammates on the championship-winning Joe Gibbs Racing team. Throughout their storied careers, they have battled several times for the win, however, once Hamlin overpowered 2017 Cup Series champion Truex Jr. in a thrilling inaugural race of the 2016 season.

The 2016 Daytona 500 witnessed a nail-biting finish. Hamlin, driving from the outside, made a late charge and maneuvered around his then-teammate, Matt Kenseth, and as a result, positioned himself for a final stretch.

He then went door-to-door with Truex Jr. until the start-finish line and delivered a photo finish for the NASCAR community.

While the No. 11 JGR ace Hamlin took home the prestigious trophy, the then-Furniture Row Racing driver Truex Jr. finished second with a margin of 0.010 seconds, making it the closest Daytona 500 finish ever recorded in the sport's history.

Denny Hamlin (11) steps in concrete after winning the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

Denny Hamlin went on to win two more iconic Daytona 500 races in 2019 and 2020. Whereas Martin Truex Jr. failed to tame the Great American race in his towering NASCAR career which came to an end this past year.

However, Truex Jr. has been presented with one more shot to redeem himself and add another trophy to his stacked-up trophy cabinet.

The 44-year-old New Jersey native Truex Jr. will wheel in the No. 56 Toyota Camry after securing a ride with Tricon Garage, for a one-off race at the famed Daytona 500 event.

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Martin Truex Jr. makes feelings known after avoiding "crazy" 2025 Daytona Duels

Martin Truex Jr.'s No. 56 Toyota punched his ticket for the final Daytona 500 grid on speed after single-car qualifying. Along with him, Jimmie Johnson was the other driver from the open-car roster to confirm his spot for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.

Reflecting on his impressive qualifying attempt, Truex Jr. in a conversation with Frontstretch said:

"I’m happy to get that done and not have to sweat it out tomorrow night. We’ve seen the Duels get a little crazy before. … We don’t have to worry about any of that. We can just focus on getting ready for Sunday and have a good week."

Could the former NASCAR champion Martin Truex Jr. finally triumph in the iconic Daytona 500 race? Let us know in the comments.