Denny Hamlin celebrates his back-to-back victory on Darlington Raceway’s frontstretch on Sunday, April 6, 2025. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
DARLINGTON, S.C. –– Denny Hamlin can thank a late-race caution for securing his second win of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
The yellow flag flew with just four laps remaining when Kyle Larson spun on the backstretch. The incident triggered a final round of crucial pit stops and set the stage for a dramatic two-lap dash to the checkered flag.
Hamlin and the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team capitalized on the opportunity, exiting pit road with the lead. From there, the veteran executed a flawless restart and managed the final two laps unchallenged, earning back-to-back victories in the series.
Sunday’s win marked Hamlin’s sixth career victory at Darlington Raceway.
He credited his pit crew for the performance, saying, “This place is so special. So difficult to get a win here. We didn’t have the best car today. We had a decent car, but this is a great team victory. I love getting this victory for the guys behind me.”
If not for the late caution, Ryan Blaney appeared poised to win the race. He had been chasing down Tyler Reddick and took the lead just moments before Larson’s spin. Reddick, on older tires, did not have enough speed to challenge him.
“If the caution didn’t come out, I thought we had it won easily,” Blaney said post-race. “We were so much faster on newer tires. It was a great strategy call running long. Those guys short-pitted and they were struggling real bad, and I thought if we could have just got off of two with the lead and the caution didn’t come out, I thought I was gonna ride off into the sunset.”
Denny Hamlin burning it down across the start/finish line at Darlington Raceway. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
The Goodyear 400 began with William Byron leading the field to green from the pole position. For the next 243 laps, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet was the class of the field, appearing untouchable at the front of the pack.
At one point, it looked as if Byron might lead every lap en route to a historic win—something that has not happened in over 24 years. However, the race’s first lead change came when crew chief Rudy Fugle called Byron to pit under green. Byron pitted later than the others and cycled out in sixth.
Although he fought back to finish second, Byron was unable to reclaim the top spot. After the race, the 27-year-old remained upbeat, praising his team’s effort.
“It sucks, it’ll sting to be this close but at the same time, being really proud of this effort by our whole team,” Byron said. “It shows what we are made of and hopefully a lot more of that to come.”
Meanwhile, Larson entered the event as the favorite to win but had a rough start. On Lap 5, the No. 5 Chevrolet broke loose, forcing the team to take the car to the garage for repairs. It took 155 laps to get Larson back on track, which raised questions about what might have happened had the team retired the car instead. Larson’s late-race spin was ultimately the reason for the caution that changed the outcome of the race.
Denny Hamlin in Victory Lane after winning the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
There were five cautions due to incidents throughout the event. On Lap 83, Carson Hocevar and Riley Herbst were involved in a crash that unfolded directly in front of Byron, nearly collecting the leader. Other drivers involved in cautions included Josh Berry, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace.
In total, the race featured four lead changes and eight cautions. The Goodyear 400 lasted 3 hours, 23 minutes, and 55 seconds, covering the scheduled 400 miles at the historic Darlington Raceway.
Next, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the ninth race of the season. Tune in to FOX Sports at 5:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, April 13 to see if Hamlin can extend his win streak to three consecutive races.
