Denny Hamlin wins at Martinsville for the first time in ten years

Hamlin, dominating as usual on the Virginia oval, was able to win this time and win for the sixth time the Grand Prix Clock, which is the trophy awarded to the winner of each race since 1964. The driver of the Toyota No. 11, however, had to wait until the 126th lap of the race to take the lead for the first time. Of the remaining 275 laps, he led 274. Only his teammate Christopher Bell, second at the checkered flag, managed to challenge him for the lead, during a restart with less than 44 laps to go. This victory is all the more important for Hamlin because it is the first with his new chief mechanic, Chris Gayle. The offseason changes took time to implement and give Denny Hamlin the confidence he needed, but with this victory, which qualifies him for the playoffs, the XNUMX-year-old driver may finally be on the path to a title he has been waiting for for twenty years.

"You know, Chris Gayle, all the engineers, the pit crew, everyone decided to come here with a different approach than in recent years.", explained the winner of the day. “It was just amazing. The car was awesome. It did everything I needed it to do. I'm so happy to win with Chris, to get 55 wins overall. Obviously, coming back here to Martinsville where I spent so many years racing late models and everything else – my God, I love winning here!”

Behind local driver Hamlin and Bell, Bubba Wallace finished third, giving the Toyotas a one-two punch. The Chevrolets of Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain edged out the top-ranked Ford, Ryan Preece. Twenty-fourth at the finish in his Legacy Motor Club Toyota, Erik Jones was disqualified after the race, his car being too low during inspections conducted by the NASCARThis Sunday, NASCAR heads to Darlington, South Carolina, for its traditional “Throwback Weekend.”

Martinsville – Ranking

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