NASCAR
Hamlin Caps Off Toyota Run of Show with 2026 All-Star Race Victory
DOVER, Del. – Stop me if you’ve heard this one before – Denny Hamlin dominates at Dover. The two-time defending Monster Mile winner was best in class yet again for the 2026 All-Star Race. The No. 11 Toyota paced 103 of 200 laps in the feature event, taking home the $1 million check for a second exhibition triumph. Miles the Monster’s most feared man appears to be the crafty veteran.
Both opening segments went in favor of 23XI Racing, being split by Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick. The first segment would be bookended by major incidents, including a hard hit for Ryan Preece on lap two. Despite sidelining nine cars, this mammoth crash did not send any locked in cars home from the main event.
Big trouble to start the #AllStarRace!
Multiple drivers, including @KyleLarsonRacin and @Blaney, are involved in this accident. pic.twitter.com/TrwQ2IpzaM
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) May 17, 2026
Aside from the planned lap 75 caution, only one other yellow flag slowed this race. Just seconds before the first yellow, Hamlin retook the lead from Chase Briscoe thanks to his stronger long run car. The final run to the checkers was a 52-lap sprint that saw these two battle it out again. Hamlin got the upper hand with 30 to go and drove off to a monster-sized payday.
“It makes it a lot easier when you got a car this fast, honestly,” said Hamlin. “Hats off to this whole Progressive team. Want to say what’s up to everyone at Progressive, got to see all their employees and agents this past week. I was trying to be number one, we did it today.”
“I liked that [the format] really challenged us to have to go through traffic. Otherwise, you can go out there and lead a bunch of laps. I definitely like the invert. Obviously it caused some chaos there, took out some good cars. But overall, it’s a typical All-Star Race when that stuff happens. I just knew that the game changer for us was long runs and obviously the ability to pass when we’re behind someone.”
When asked what he’ll do with the mega cash prize, Hamlin said: “I’ll give it to Mama.”
Behind Hamlin and Briscoe, Erik Jones rounded out a Toyota top-three ahead of Austin Dillon and Connor Zilisch. The rest of the All-Star Race top-10 were: Austin Cindric, William Byron, Michael McDowell, Alex Bowman, and Brad Keselowski.
NASCAR action returns in full force next week with the Coca-Cola 600. The crown jewel event will see the Cup Series’ best host their marathon Memorial Day weekend race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The green flag flies Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on Prime Video, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
