NASCAR

NASCAR Dover: Hamlin leads Joe Gibbs Racing 1-2-3

Denny Hamlin led a 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing in the first race of the Dover NASCAR Cup Series double-header.

Hamlin had little competition as he took the first two stage victories, but fell back to fourth for the start of the final stage.

Team-mate Martin Truex Jr picked up the race lead and spent the first half of the stage battling to stay ahead of Kyle Busch.

Hamlin made quick work of third-placed Brad Keselowski and was soon on the tail of the race leaders, taking second from Keslowski before the final pitstops.

Truex had looked strong throughout the race, but began to complain about lack of grip after the final stop.

Despite the issues, he managed to keep Hamlin behind him until a small mistake eight laps before the chequered flag allowed Hamlin through.

Hamlin held the position to take his sixth victory of 2020, 1.179 seconds ahead of Truex, with Busch a further 5.8s back in third.

The race started with drama when, just seven laps in, Kurt Busch and the fourth JGR Toyota of Erik Jones came together, sending Busch’s Chip Ganassi Chevrolet hard into the wall.

Busch’s car was severely damaged, while Jones and Alex Bowman also suffered smaller damage.

The caution that resulted from the incident was the only unscheduled caution.

Polesitter Chase Elliot and Kevin Harvick both looked strong in the first stage, but dropped away from the lead battle early on.

Elliot had made a good start from pole and managed the restart after the first caution period, but suffered tyre rub on the restart after the competition caution and dropped back down the order.

Harvick’s issue came in the pits on his first stop of the day, when he was released with a loose left rear wheel nut and forced to quickly make a second stop.

Both spent the rest of the race working their way up through the order, eventually coming home fourth and fifth, with Harvick just ahead of Elliot.

Clint Bowyer took sixth ahead of Jimmie Johnson, who moves back into the playoff positions.

Joey Logano, Keslowski, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr completed the top 10.

NASCAR Cup Series Dover Results – 311 laps

Pos Driver Car Team
1 Denny Hamlin Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
2 Martin Truex Jr. Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
3 Kyle Busch Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Kevin Harvick Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
5 Chase Elliott Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
6 Clint Bowyer Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
7 Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
8 Joey Logano Ford Team Penske
9 Brad Keselowski Ford Team Penske
10 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
11 Cole Custer Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
12 Erik Jones Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing
13 Tyler Reddick Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
14 Ryan Blaney Ford Team Penske
15 Austin Dillon Chevrolet Richard Childress Racing
16 Chris Buescher Ford Roush Fenway Racing
17 Aric Almirola Ford Stewart-Haas Racing
18 Ty Dillon Chevrolet Germain Racing
19 Ryan Newman Ford Roush Fenway Racing
20 Matt DiBenedetto Ford Wood Brothers Racing
21 Alex Bowman Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
22 Christopher Bell Toyota Leavine Family Racing
23 Matt Kenseth Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing
24 John Hunter Nemechek Ford Front Row Motorsports
25 Ryan Preece Chevrolet JTG Daugherty Racing
26 Michael McDowell Ford Front Row Motorsports
27 Darrell Wallace Jr. Chevrolet Richard Petty Motorsports
28 William Byron Chevrolet Hendrick Motorsports
29 Corey LaJoie Ford Go FAS Racing
30 Daniel Suarez Toyota Gaunt Brothers Racing
31 J.J. Yeley Ford Rick Ware Racing
32 Josh Bilicki Chevrolet Rick Ware Racing
33 Quin Houff Chevrolet StarCom Racing
34 Timmy Hill Toyota MBM Motorsports
35 Joey Gase Ford Petty Ware Racing
36 Brennan Poole Chevrolet Premium Motorsports
37 Garrett Smithley Chevrolet Tommy Baldwin Racing
38 B.J. McLeod Chevrolet BJ McLeod Motorsports
39 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet Spire Motorsports
40 Kurt Busch Chevrolet Chip Ganassi Racing

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