In a race marked by multiple cautions, a pair of overtime delays, and a 56-minute red flag for inclement weather, the “Monster” trophy was eventually settled between Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.
When the dust settled, the 44-year-old outlasted the field, held off a fierce charge from Chase Elliott, and captured his 58th career Cup Series win at Dover, outlasting the field on worn tires.
Denny Hamlin Overcomes Chaos, Weather, and Overtime To Tame Dover Once Again
Prior to his first win at the “Monster Mile” in 2020, Hamlin had a love-hate relationship with Dover. A fifth-place finish in 2014 marked the start of a positive trend, and six years later, in 2020, he secured his first win at the concrete oval.
Now, as the oldest driver on the field, the Joe Gibbs Racing ace is basking in the glory of back-to-back wins, taming one of the most unforgiving tracks on the schedule.
“Things were going pretty well there before the rain, and then obviously had to endure a few restarts there,” said Hamlin with a cheeky grin, who collected his first trophy since the birth of his son, Jameson, last month. “It was tough, those guys gave me a run for it, no doubt about it.”
“Winning here at Dover is super special to me,” he continued. “This is a place I had not been very good at the first half of my career, and then to have back-to-back (wins) here the last couple of years is amazing.”
Hard work has paid off for @dennyhamlin at Dover. pic.twitter.com/8OBz4I0FFp
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 20, 2025
Leading 67 of Sunday’s 407 laps, the No. 11 driver regained the lead from his No. 19 teammate in the waning laps and fought to bring it home.
Briscoe briefly took the lead on the final restart, but Hamlin fought back with determination, reclaiming the top spot and securing the win by 0.310 seconds.
What Went Wrong for Chase Elliott Despite Leading 238 Laps?
Despite starting the day on the pole, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott led a race-high 238 laps before finishing sixth. The 2020 Cup Series champion, who had the fastest car during the race, battled Briscoe during the initial stage and eventually secured the top spot. He held on to the lead, winning Stage 1 of the race.
However, a costly mistake from the No. 9 HMS crew forced Elliott to give up his lead to Christopher Bell in the following stage, with Elliott falling from race leader to fourth place. Bell then won a caution-free Stage 2 before everything changed in the final stage with weather and untimely spins flipping the script.
Meanwhile, Elliott seized the lead from Bell, who lost his advantage following the restart after the stage break. With the No. 20 driver spinning out, Elliott captured the lead before Hamlin came charging to snatch it before the field went red.
When the 407-lap feature came to a close, Briscoe finished second on Hamlin’s bumper with Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, and Ty Gibbs rounding off the top five. Meanwhile, Elliott’s sixth-place finish, combined with William Byron’s wreck, put him back atop the standings.