Denny Hamlin added another big win to his NASCAR Cup Series resume on Sunday. And this was at a track he believed he did poorly at. The ‘Monster Mile’ was a struggle for the 23XI Racing co-owner’s early career. But now it seems he has finally tamed it with two consecutive wins.
Hamlin had to fight a rain delay and two charging teammates to win the race at Dover. On his podcast, he recently admitted that things would have ended differently if his teammate had not spun in the last part of the race.
Christopher Bell Spins and Hamlin Holds On To Win in Dover
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) driver started the race from 13th place after the practice and qualifying sessions were cancelled due to bad weather. During the early part of the race, fans were not expecting Hamlin to be at the front. His teammate, Christopher Bell, looked unstoppable, leading 67 laps and dominantly winning Stage 2.
But things changed quickly after Ross Chastain caused a late race caution. Right after that caution, there was a 56-minute red flag session due to rain. After the track dried up, the race continued with just nine laps to go. Bell and Hamlin were leading the field post-restart.
On pit road, Bell said that the one who leads the initial laps after the restart would walk out with the trophy. They were racing each other hard, but soon, into Turn 4 with eight laps to go, Bell’s car got loose and spun out.
Incredible focus and save by Denny Hamlin 😤pic.twitter.com/5qFhqmHG5O
— PFSN (@PFSN365) February 16, 2025
It wasn’t the first time he had trouble, either. Earlier during the race, Bell had spun out similarly, going into Turn 3. But this second spin completely ruined his chances of winning the race on Sunday. Bell dropped back into the pack and finished the race in 18th place.
On the other hand, Hamlin continued in the race and grabbed his fourth win of the season. He also became the winningest driver in the Cup Series grid this year. On his “Actions Detrimental” podcast, he said that Bell’s spin might have saved him from one of the closest finishes of his career.
“When we were going down the backstretch and we were still side by side,” Hamlin said. “I thought it was going to be tough. If the caution doesn’t come out, let’s just say he doesn’t wreck, I think we ended up having a photo finish at the start finish line. I don’t see any one of us clearing at any point on that final lap.”
Despite the tough ending, Bell was still happy to see a fellow JGR driver get the win.
Denny Hamlin’s Hot Streak Continues
This season has been full of ups and downs for Hamlin. Off the track, his 23XI Racing team is in the middle of a serious legal fight with NASCAR over charter agreements. However, this scenario has not affected him on the track.
With four victories already in the bag, Hamlin seems confident of more race wins this season. Fans might soon see him break the 60-race win record, which he has mentioned before.
This win in Dover might not be his last of the season. He could win more races and could also go on to win that elusive Championship title this season. And the fact that he was not ‘boo-ed’ after his win at Dover, the consensus might agree that this should be his season.