Denny Hamlin drops two-word shoutout to his 'unlucky' rescued dog following Gateway victory

Denny Hamlin’s rescue dog, Lulu, who was considered bad luck by many, found redemption after the Joe Gibbs Racing driver bagged his fifth win of the season in the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday. The victory also locked Hamlin into the Round of 12.

Hamlin and his family found Lulu last year in a park when a ranger approached them with the puppy, who had just been rescued from near an adjacent river. The family ended up adopting little Lulu. But right after bringing Lulu home, Hamlin’s stats started going downwards.

The JGR driver was the runner-up in last year’s Enjoy Illinois 300, and the following week, the driver got relegated to a P38 finish due to an engine issue. Hamlin also struggled to make the Round of 12 last year.

Since Lulu’s arrival, the Tampa, Florida native was able to bag only two top-5s and two top-10 finishes in 13 starts, besides four DNFs. Noting the aftermath of Lulu's adoption, the driver jokingly called it "unlucky" in an episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast.

Lulu is bad luck, you can't argue with the records. Said Hamlin

However, things aren’t the same anymore. Lulu, now all grown up, was seen posing with Hamlin and his family next to this year’s Enjoy Illinois 300 trophy. Hamlin posted a picture of the moment on Instagram with the following caption.

“̶U̶n̶Lucky Lulu 🐕‍🦺🏁”

Hamlin will be vying for his 60th career Cup Series victory in next week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Fans can watch the race live on USA (September 13, 7:30 pm ET) or listen to its exclusive radio coverage on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

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Denny Hamlin bags milestone achievement for Toyota at Gateway

With his triumph at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday, Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, brought Toyota its 200th win in the NASCAR Cup Series. It also marked JGR’s 166th victory with Toyota.

“It's a testament to what's gone in over the last 19 years," said Tyler Gibbs, president of Toyota Racing Development. "The team we have at TRD, the team we have at TMNA (Toyota Motor North America), the team we have on the track. When you look at JGR, 23XI, Furniture Row, Red Bull and Michael Waltrip Racing combining for over 200 wins is just incredible for us."

Per reports, Denny Hamlin has driven a Toyota Camry in 634 of his 713 starts. He is now tied with two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch for the most wins in the Cup Series with Toyota (56).

Denny Hamlin himself is just one win away from hitting a milestone. If he wins one more race, he will tie with former driver Kevin Harvick for 60 career NASCAR Cup Series wins.