Denny Hamlin Tallies Bristol Night Race Win

Denny Hamlin is the Bristol slayer on Saturday night. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Regardless of the fan reaction online or at the track, Denny Hamlin does not mind wearing the black hat.

In this case, the perennial NASCAR Cup Series championship contender was more like a Detroit Pistons player from the 1980s than beloved stock car star. Last Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, he raced in a very methodical, dominant fashion.

Starting second in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, Hamlin’s race started off on a rough note on Lap 72. Dropping outside of the top 10, Hamlin was penalized for a pit road speeding penalty, relegating him to restart toward the rear of the field.

The Chesterfield, Virginia native worked his way up to a 19th place finish in Stage 1 while Christopher Bell held off a a determined Corey LaJoie for the victory.

Slowly but surely, the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Freight Direct Toyota Camry marched up the leaderboard. By the end of Stage 2, won by Bell, Hamlin placed fourth, salvaging seven stage points.

As the night progressed, it became evident that Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing prepared machine was taking well to the changing track conditions. Initially, Ty Gibbs, Hamlin’s teammate, led from Laps 256 to 353 before waging in a six lap battle for the lead.

However, Hamlin’s experience and savvy proved too much on this evening, re-taking the number one spot from Gibbs on Lap 359. For a brief time on Lap 365, Chris Buescher, the defending Bass Pro Shops Night Race winner, took the lead before Hamlin reassumed command of the race on Lap 366.

From there on, Hamlin never looked back, essentially matching Kyle Larson’s pace with strength after strength. After placing 25th at Darlington and runner-up at Kansas, the 50-time race winner added another mantle to his case.

Regardless of the fans’ reaction following his 51st career Cup win, Hamlin did not mince words as if to make a statement to his critics and less than favorable reception.

On this occasion, Denny Hamlin was too much for Kyle Larson and his competitors at Bristol. (Photo: Kyle Ritchie | The Podium Finish)

“Everybody likes a winner, right?” Hamlin said in a rhetorical tone. “I can’t thank this whole FedEx team enough. They really kicked ass this whole first round.

“Just amazing how good our team has been. So happy about the way we are running. I can’t wait to keep going.”

Another driver who looks forward to the Round of 12 is Larson, who drove to a runner-up result after starting 36th. Given how rough the weekend started with an unusually subpar qualifying effort, the 22-time Cup race winner tipped his cap to his team.

“I’m definitely happy to finish second,” Larson said. “The race went a lot better than I thought it would. Thankfully, the No. 1 (Ross Chastain) and the No. 4 (Kevin Harvick) went a lap down – they were pitted behind me and in front of me, and had they been on the same lap as us, that would have been very difficult for all of us. So got fortunate there, which made pit stops much easier.”

Although Bell swept the stages, it was a bittersweet podium for the Norman, Oklahoma native. Regardless, he considered the pluses of his Saturday night performance in Thunder Valley.

“It definitely is a run to be proud of, but I’ll be honest, this was probably our best race we’ve had in a while and probably the most disappointed I’ve been in a while,” Bell said. “Just got a little bit away from us there in the last half of the race.

“That is how it goes sometimes, but I’m really proud of the effort on this Reser’s Camry. It was a lot of fun leading laps, and this track is just the best.”

Here comes Denny Hamlin burning out at Bristol on Saturday night. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)

As for a driver who thinks that he is the best, Hamlin feels like his team is more a cut above the rest of his Round of 12 competitors.

“It’s our year,” Hamlin said. “I just feel like we’ve got to put it all together. We’ve got the speed at every different type of race track. Nothing to stop us at this point.”

Stage 1 Top 10 Results

1. Christopher Bell
2. Corey LaJoie
3. Bubba Wallace
4. William Byron
5. Tyler Reddick
6. Ross Chastain
7. Brad Keselowski
8. Kyle Larson
9. Martin Truex Jr.
10. Ty Gibbs

Stage 2 Top 10 Results

1. Christopher Bell
2. Ty Gibbs
3. Kyle Larson
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Carson Hocevar
6. Michael McDowell
7. Chris Buescher
8. William Byron
9. Ryan Preece
10. Chase Elliott

Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway Race Result

NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 Playoffs Standings