Dover Motor Speedway used to be Denny Hamlin’s worst track, but that’s not the case anymore.
Hamlin waited out a one-hour red-flag delay, won three restarts on older tires inside of 10 laps to go, and took the overtime checkers in Sunday’s rain-interrupted AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 in Dover, Del.
In the second overtime, Hamlin lined up beside Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, who was on much fresher tires. The Toyotas made contact coming to the white, allowing Hamlin’s No. 11 to nose ahead and beat the No. 19 by 0.310 seconds for his series-leading fourth victory.
Hamlin, who led 67 of the 407 laps, also fended off teammate Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson in late restarts — in regulation with eight laps left and the first overtime, respectively — to help him repeat at Dover and give Toyota its third straight win there.
“Winning here in Dover is super special to me,” said Hamlin, who last pitted for tires on Lap 326. “This is a place I’ve not been very good at in the first half of my career. To have back-to-back (wins) 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 … watch Jimmie Johnson. You learn from the greats.”
It was Hamlin’s third career win at the Delaware track and 58th overall victory in the Cup Series.
“We’ve still got a lot left,” he said.
Briscoe wanted to make sure a JGR car won but said he did everything he could running below Hamlin.
“I thought I did everything I needed to,” Briscoe said. “I thought I had him there for a second. I wish the Camry’s back was about 3 inches shorter. I was so close to clearing him.”
Alex Bowman, Larson and Ty Gibbs completed the top five.
In the In-Season Challenge semifinal, NASCAR’s version of the Final Four, Gibbs beat Tyler Reddick (12th place), while Ty Dillon (20th) topped John Hunter Nemechek (21st).
Gibbs and Dillon will square off next Sunday at Indianapolis for the $1 million top prize given to the winner of the 32-car tournament.
The first stage, a 120-lapper around the one-mile concrete track, was all about Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, who managed to beat Bell as the segment ended and hold on to the point.
Following that pair were Hamlin, William Byron and a fast-moving Bowman, who sliced through the top 10 in Stage 1’s late laps.
Elliott’s day turned sour when his Chevy fell off the jacks while being serviced under green on Lap 186. After the stops cycled, Bell was out front with Hamlin over three seconds in arrears.
In his No. 20 Toyota, Bell won Stage 2 and told his JGR team to leave the car as it was as he headed to pit road. Bowman and Hamlin crossed under the checkers for second and third in bonus points, respectively.
However, Bell spun on his own while leading on the Lap 260 restart and racing with Elliott, hitting nothing and forcing the field to split as his JGR ride slid down the high banks.
–Field Level Media
