Sunday’s race featured two overtime attempts and two rain delays.
DOVER, Del. β Denny Hamlin survived rain delays, overtime restarts, and a hard-charging teammate to win Sunday’s NASCAR race at Dover.
Hamlin led 67 of the race’s 407 laps, which was extended because of two overtime restarts. It was the last lap that Hamlin arguably worked the hardest to lead, with a daring move to get around his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe.Β
“Things were going well before the rain… That was tough, those guys made a good run at it,” Hamlin said after the win. “Winning here at Dover is super special to me.”
Briscoe passed Hamlin on the final restart, but Hamlin pushed hard to take the lead at the win for his 58th career victory. Two rain delays impacted the race, including one that forced a 56-minute red flag period and a final 10-lap shootout.
Briscoe finished second on Hamlin’s bumper. Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Ty Gibbs closed out the top five.
“I thought I had him there,” Briscoe said. “It was a great day… glad we were able to make a good finish out of it.”
Christopher Bell challenged for the win throughout the day but spun twice during restarts. His first incident happened early in the final stage. He climbed his way back to the front before spinning on a restart in the final 10 laps. Bell led 67 laps but finished 18th.Β
Chase Elliott started on the pole after rain washed out qualifying. Elliott battled with Chase Briscoe for the lead in the early stages but ultimately prevailed with the top spot.Β
Elliott gained a hefty lead on the field in the first stage until Bell closed in. Elliott held on to win the first stage.
A mistake by Elliott’s pit crew during a green flag stop allowed Bell to take the lead in the second stage. Elliott fell to fourth in the exchange.
Bell emerged as the favorite by taking the lead. Passing was extremely limited in Sunday’s race, making track position the ultimate key to success.Β
The second stage ran caution-free with Bell as the winner. Calamity struck in the third stage, with weather and untimely spins playing a factor.Β
All of Bell’s effort to reach the lead was washed away on the restart after the stage break. Bell spun out while racing for the lead with Elliott, forcing a caution and sending him to the pack of the field. The crucial mistake gave Elliott the lead once again.
Elliott gained a sizeable lead over Hamlin once racing went green again. Most drivers opted to pit once the cycle called for it, but the threat of rain tempted several drivers to stay out longer to bank on track position. Bell was one of the latter drivers and found his way back in the lead pack as rain hit the track on lap 337, causing a caution with under 10 cars on the lead lap.
Hamlin got around Elliott before the caution and inherited the lead as Bell and others pitted under yellow.Β
Bell challenged Hamlin for the lead as the laps counted down, with Hamlin prevailing. Rain once again loomed in the area, creating a sense of urgency.Β
Ross Chastain hit the wall and stalled on the track with 16 laps to go, just before the rain arrived. The field was brought to pit road for a 56-minute red flag period as the rain passed. Once the track was dried, the race resumed.
On the ensuing restart, Bell spun out again while racing for the lead with Hamlin. William Byron and Noah Gragson wrecked while trying to avoid Bell.
The cleanup time forced an overtime restart attempt. Zane Smith wrecked after contact from Joey Logano, forcing a caution and another restart attempt.
Hamlin and Briscoe restarted on the front row and fought for the lead for two laps, with Hamlin prevailing.
Ty Gibbs beat Tyler Reddick, and Ty Dillon beat John Hunter Nemechek to set the final for NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament. Dillon was the 32nd and final seed in the bracket when it began in Atlanta and will have the chance to win $1 million if he beats Gibbs next week.
The NASCAR Cup Series is next in action at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. Kyle Larson is the defending winner.