Race Winner Wasn't In the Car at the End of the Race

Thanks to one of the quirks of NASCAR rules, the guy who will be credited with the Busch Series win in Milwaukee yesterday wasn't even in the car when the race was completed:

Denny Hamlin proved you don't necessarily have to be around for the green flag to take the checkered flag.

And Aric Almirola sulked away from what will go down in the record books as his first career NASCAR Busch Series victory.

After missing the start of the race because his helicopter couldn't find a place to land, Hamlin rallied to take the checkered flag in a wacky AT&T 250 at The Milwaukee Mile on Saturday.

But because Almirola, a substitute driver, started the race in Hamlin's car, NASCAR officially will credit Almirola with the victory, points and prize money.

In Victory Lane, Hamlin said it wasn't his decision to kick Almirola out of the car.

"I didn't want to do it," Hamlin said. "I knew he would be really upset."

According to NASCAR officials, it was the first time a relief driver had won a Busch Series race since Jack Ingram turned his car over to Harry Gant at Darlington Raceway on April 13, 1985.

Hamlin went out of his way to credit the young driver he helped discover for Joe Gibbs Racing.

"He did all the hard work," Hamlin said.

But that will likely be of little comfort to Almirola, who shook his head as he retreated to the team's transporter after being ordered to hand the car over to Hamlin. Almirola refused interview requests and later sneaked out a side entrance to leave the track without comment.

Other drivers have used that rule to their benefit when they were too injured or sick to complete a race. They'd start and run until the first caution, and then get out for a relief driver. Under the rules, the driver that starts the race gets the points and the money, and those rules have kept injured or sick drivers in the points race. It may not be completely fair, but that's how the rules work.