Denny Hamlin Holds Off Larson Late To Win NASCAR Cup Race At Dover Motor Speedway

The location is Dover, Delaware. Prior to the Dover race, Denny Hamlin confidently predicted a victory on his podcast and successfully fulfilled his bold claim, reminiscent of Babe Ruth’s famous declaration. He skillfully fended off Kyle Larson in the final moments of the race, ultimately securing a win and parking his Toyota in the winner’s circle.

Hamlin skillfully maneuvered through slower cars and successfully prevented Larson from overtaking him in the closing laps of the race, showcasing the exceptional driving skills of both NASCAR’s top drivers. Ultimately, Hamlin emerged victorious, winning the Cup race by a margin of almost 0.25 seconds at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday.

“If you’re going to speak, you must ensure that you win,” Hamlin asserted confidently.

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Denny Hamlin Holds Off Larson Late To Win NASCAR Cup Race At Dover Motor Speedway

Hamlin has perfected the victory lane celebration this season. Last week, he commemorated his position as co-owner of 23XI Racing by celebrating at Talladega Superspeedway when Tyler Reddick emerged as the victor. Hamlin’s involvement was somewhat eclipsed by his counterpart team owner, Michael Jordan. Jordan, the owner of a NASCAR Cup team, was present at the track for the first time to personally experience the joy of one of his drivers winning a race.

Hamlin, a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, claimed the Monster trophy this week at Dover, showcasing his skills in the spotlight.

“There is a slight distinction between winning as a driver and winning as a car owner,” Hamlin remarked.

Hamlin felt confident that he would win. Publicly, he expressed his willingness to claim that he would conquer the Monster Mile, even making a reference to Babe Ruth on the podcast.

“I will make a decision or prediction at this moment.” “We are confident that we will emerge victorious at Dover,” Hamlin stated in a recent interview on “Actions Detrimental.” Do you understand?

Understood.

“Hopefully, some listeners of ‘Actions Detrimental’ may have profited today,” Hamlin expressed.

Hamlin dominated by leading 136 out of the 400 laps and was victorious at Dover for the second race in his career.

Appropriately, the Babe, referring to Babe Ruth, donned the number 3 jersey for the New York Yankees. In a gesture of homage to the team’s third victory of the season, Hamlin and the other members of his team, who wore the number 11, displayed three fingers.

Hamlin has achieved three victories, which is the same number as William Byron, making them both the top winners in the series this season. Additionally, Hamlin achieved his 54th victory in the Cup series, all of which were obtained while racing for Joe Gibbs Racing. He is currently ranked 12th on the all-time career Cup tally, tied with Lee Petty.

“I was unable to grasp Lee Petty’s helmet,” Hamlin stated.

The tone for the season was established from the very beginning as Hamlin emerged victorious in the Clash at the Coliseum exhibition race.

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Denny Hamlin Holds Off Larson Late To Win NASCAR Cup Race At Dover Motor Speedway

Larson secured the second position and closely pursued Hamlin’s car throughout the last 25 laps, appearing poised to overtake the Toyota. Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet was unable to successfully complete the race on the one-mile concrete course. Hamlin seized the lead after a restart with 81 laps remaining and maintained it throughout the race, consistently preventing Larson’s Chevy from overtaking him at the highest part of the course.

“I was completely incapacitated,” Larson stated. “No object could attain sufficient velocity to approach close enough to take any action.”

Hamlin received a resounding chorus of booing as he triumphantly held the checkered flag, with the boos being louder than normal due to the unexpectedly large number of spectators in the grandstands.

Following the cancellation of races due to rain in the previous two years, the weather was favorable on Sunday, attracting a large number of spectators. The grandstands were filled to their maximum capacity of 54,000, with no empty seats in sight. Although NASCAR venues do not publicly disclose attendance figures, the audience at Dover was undeniably the largest since the period preceding the pandemic.

Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Chase Elliott finished in the top five positions.

The large one

At the 71st lap of the race, a collision involving multiple cars occurred, resulting in the elimination of Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, and William Byron.

Following a restart, Zane Smith made contact with the left rear of Wallace’s Toyota, causing him to collide with several cars including Byron and Bell. At the moment of the collision, Wallace was in the 11th position. Bell finished in the 16th position, while Byron finished in the 18th position.

Truex is nearby.

One year after the Truex brothers achieved a clean sweep at Dover, with Ryan Truex winning the Xfinity race and Martin Truex winning the Cup race, they were unable to replicate their success. Ryan Truex achieved consecutive victories after winning his second consecutive Xfinity race on Saturday. Martin Truex became victorious in the initial part of the race, leading for a total of 69 laps until his Toyota incurred damage to its front end.

“Today, Martin Truex expressed the sentiment that we missed an opportunity,” Truex stated. “It is imperative that you maintain control of these races throughout the entire stage.” As the track changes, you fall behind.

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Denny Hamlin Holds Off Larson Late To Win NASCAR Cup Race At Dover Motor Speedway

Substitute for an all-star

Kevin Harvick, the former NASCAR champion who retired after the previous season, will substitute for Larson in practice and qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star race by driving the No. 5 Chevrolet.

Larson will opt to remain in Indianapolis on May 17 to engage in practice sessions specifically for the Indianapolis 500, instead of embarking on a journey to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the purpose of practicing and qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star race. He will be the sixth driver in history to undertake “The Double” challenge, which involves racing 1,100 miles in a single day. He will begin by participating in the Indianapolis 500 in an Indy car and then swiftly go to Charlotte to compete in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s lengthiest race of the year.

The next race will take place at Kansas Speedway, where Hamlin is the current title holder.

“I’m not ready to make a prediction just yet,” Hamlin said, chuckling.

SOURCE – (AP)