Denny Hamlin Wins Darlngton Southern 500

Sara Craybill/Getty Images

DARLINGTON, SC - RIS - The Joe Gibbs Toyotas continue to dominate the NASCAR scene.  Denny Hamlin made up a several-second deficit after missing the entrance to pit road, battled back to chase down race leader Martin Truex Jr., and won his second Southern 500. Truex suffered a flat right front tire and scrubbed the wall in the closing laps. Hamlin had fresher tires and his crew chief, Mike Wheeler, encouraged him after the mistake: ''We can still do this."  They did.

In doing so, he completed a sweep of Darling races on Saturday and Sunday, winning the Xfinity race on Saturday. 

"We drove our ass off. That's as hard as I can drive," Hamlin said. "I can't say enough about this track. I love this racetrack. This is the second one. This one's sweeter."

Rounding out the top five were Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Austin Dillon and Erik Jones.

Truex won the race’s second stage under caution and clinched the regular-season championship and its 15-point bonus. The caution was caused by Gray Gaulding’s spin on the 197th lap. Rounding out the top 10 were: Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Kurt Busch, Jamie McMurray,

On a light-hearted note, as part of Darlington’s throwback weekend, Richard Petty drove one of his old No. 43 Plymouths on track during pre-race pace laps. The ride apparently was enjoyable for the 80-year-old Petty, who stayed on the track longer than planned and eventually was “black-flagged” by NASCAR.

With only Richmond remaining in the “regular season,” it appears the only way superstars Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.,  and Clint Bowyer can make the playoffs, the final ten races, is by winning next week at Richmond International Raceway.

Darlington Raceway - Darlington, SC - 1.366 Mile Paved

Total Race Length - 367 Laps - 501.322 Miles

Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Stage 1 Pos Stage 2 Pos Pts Status Tms Laps Playoff Pts
1 9 11 Denny Hamlin Sport Clips Toyota 367 3 2 57 Running 4 124 5
2 3 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Caramel Toyota 367 9 5 43 Running 3 6
3 7 41 Kurt Busch Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford 367 7 38 Running 1 7
4 13 3 Austin Dillon American Ethanol Chevrolet 367 10 9 36 Running
5 10 77 Erik Jones # 5-hour ENERGY/Rookie Salute Toyota 367 6 37 Running
6 11 20 Matt Kenseth Circle K Toyota 367 10 32 Running
7 17 31 Ryan Newman Caterpillar Chevrolet 367 30 Running
8 2 78 Martin Truex Jr. Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats 40th Anniversary Toyota 367 1 1 49 Running 5 76 2
9 1 4 Kevin Harvick Busch Beer Throwback Ford 366 4 3 43 Running 3 22
10 5 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald's Chevrolet 366 7 8 34 Running
11 20 24 Chase Elliott NAPA Auto Parts Throwback Chevrolet 366 26 Running
12 18 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Throwback Chevrolet 366 25 Running
13 25 13 Ty Dillon # GEICO Chevrolet 366 24 Running
14 4 42 Kyle Larson Credit One Bank Chevrolet 366 2 4 39 Running 3 124
15 6 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Genuine Draft Ford 366 5 6 33 Running 1 3
16 21 27 Paul Menard Dutch Boy/Menards Chevrolet 366 21 Running
17 27 37 Chris Buescher Cheerios Chevrolet 366 20 Running
18 8 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 366 8 22 Running
19 30 95 Michael McDowell WRL General Contractors Chevrolet 365 18 Running
20 15 43 Aric Almirola STP Ford 365 17 Running
21 31 34 Landon Cassill Loves Travel Stops Ford 365 16 Running 1 5
22 22 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Throwback Chevrolet 365 15 Running
23 34 72 Cole Whitt TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet 364 14 Running
24 23 5 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Throwback Chevrolet 364 13 Running
25 26 38 David Ragan Camping World/Good Sam Ford 363 12 Running
26 33 10 Danica Patrick Ford Credit Ford 363 11 Running
27 28 32 Matt DiBenedetto Keen Parts/Corvetteparts.net Ford 362 10 Running
28 35 23 Corey LaJoie # Dr Pepper Toyota 360 9 Running
29 14 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fifth Third Bank Ford 358 8 Running
30 37 33 Jeffrey Earnhardt hulu Chevrolet 356 7 Running
31 12 21 Ryan Blaney Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford 356 6 Running
32 38 55 * Derrike Cope Mane 'n Tail Toyota 351 5 Running
33 40 66 * Carl Long(i) CrashClaimsR.US Chevrolet 350 0 Running
34 29 47 AJ Allmendinger Kroger ClickList Chevrolet 340 3 Running
35 24 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 336 2 Running
36 36 83 * Gray Gaulding # Champion Machinery Toyota 202 1 Accident
37 39 51 * Cody Ware Bubba Burger/Pray for Texas Chevrolet 144 1 Accident
38 19 19 Daniel Suarez # ARRIS Toyota 125 1 Accident
39 32 15 Reed Sorenson Xchange of America Toyota 104 1 Clutch
40 16 14 Clint Bowyer Carolina Ford Dealers Ford 18 1 Engine
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 46 Mins, 34 Secs. Average Speed: 132.761 MPH Margin of Victory: 2.599 Seconds