NASCAR
Denny Hamlin earns back-to-back Monster Mile victories
DOVER, Del. – A new tire, no laps on track before Sunday, and rain throughout the race ultimately led to a familiar winner in Dover. Denny Hamlin earns back-to-back triumphs on the concrete oval, outlasting double overtime with older tires after a final run broken up by several delays. Now 58 times a Cup Series winner, Hamlin appears to be in peak form as the Playoff draw ever closer.
A washout of all Saturday on-track activity pitted both Chases against each other up front: Elliott and Briscoe. The Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota got the jump on the initial start, but Elliott soon found time and got by the No. 19. The Hendrick Motorsports driver went on to lead the next 171 laps, taking Stage 1 in the process.
Elliott’s seemingly easy Sunday drive would see a slight hiccup under a green flag pit stop. The Napa Chevrolet would fall off its jack on the left side, ceding the lead and Stage 2 win to Christopher Bell.
Bell’s day went from 100 to zero really quick. The 20 went for a spin cycle from the lead in turn three on the opening lap of Stage 3. Miraculously not hitting anything or anyone, Bell pitted for fresh tires and continued onward.
Bell’s misfortunes handed the lead back to Elliott, and the 9 remained out front until a green flag pit stop inside of the final 75 laps.
A timely rain caution saw Bell retake the lead by virtue of not pitting. Once it was evident this rain was a passing shower though, everyone except Denny Hamlin opted to pit. With 13-lap older tires, Hamlin put on a defensive masterclass keeping Bell at bay behind him.
Rain would fall again inside the final 20 laps, causing a brief red flag. Following track drying, the race resumed with eight laps left. Hamlin’s older tires were evidently a non-issue, with the 11 keeping ground over a spinning Christopher Bell. This incident soon led to double overtime, now with Chase Briscoe to Hamlin’s inside.
Try as hard as he could, Briscoe also broke loose on Hamlin’s inside coming to the white flag. The 19 ultimately followed his teammate to the Monster Mile checkers. Denny Hamlin now owns back-to-back Dover triumphs and takes home career Cup victory number 58.
“Winning here in Dover is super special to me,” Hamlin said. “It’s a place that I’ve not been very good at the first half of my career, to have back-to-back here over the last few years is amazing. I just studied some of the greats here. I was very fortunate to have Martin Truex [Jr.] as a teammate, Jimmie Johnson watching him win [11] times here. You learn from the greats and you change your game to match it and you have success like this.”
Behind the Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Hamlin and Briscoe were a Hendrick pairing of Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson, ahead of Ty Gibbs in the top-five. Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, and Brad Keselowski were the top-10. Hear from some of the top finishers below.
For the In-Season Challenge semifinal round, the last caution led Ty Dillon to be the free pass. The Kaulig Racing No. 10 finished 20th, but more importantly a spot and an entire lap ahead of rival John Hunter Nemechek. Ty Gibbs (fifth) also got the upper hand on Tyler Reddick (12th), setting up a Ty-vs-Ty $1 million showdown.
Next week will be one of NASCAR’s premier crown jewel events–the Brickyard 400. Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be the next battleground for Cup Series competitors as the championship fight rages onward. The green flag will fly Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on TNT, IMS Radio Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter/X
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter/X
Photo Credit to Peter Stratta/TSJSports
