By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
DOVER, Del. — Sunday’s Drydene 400 from Dover International Speedway was a special day for Denny Hamlin, as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series veteran ran his 500th career race.
Coming at a track he’s never won at, it was bound to be a memorable afternoon, as the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota started from pole.
After setting the quickest time Saturday, the single-lap speed proved to breed long-run speed, too. With only one caution in the opening 120-lap stage, Hamlin managed to lead 112 circuits in that time.
Winning the stage, Hamlin was en route to sweeping the race’s two stages until he encountered Joey Logano’s 24-lap-down Ford. That allowed Martin Truex Jr. and others to close in and overtake Hamlin, dropping him to finish third in Stage 2.
“I thought the No. 22 (Logano) was trying to stay on the lead lap, but they said he was 24 laps down,” Hamlin said. “He was kind of air-blocking us and we lost the lead, and we lost that stage.”
From there, the once-dominant Toyota was only a top-five runner.
“After that, we lost control of the race and the track got tighter,” he said. “There were no cautions to pick up the rubber. We just got tight. Once we lost control – lost the clean air – it was so difficult to pass.”
Leading 218 laps, it was the most laps Hamlin had led in a Cup race since 2010 at Richmond Raceway. But outside of the race lead, the car was a different animal.
“I needed to be up front with as tight as my car was,” he said. “I just lost the lead and backpedaled from there.”
Thinking he was under power, perhaps losing an engine, Hamlin realized his mistake on the race’s final restart.
“I missed a shift,” he said. “The car changed tones and lost a little power, but it’s next year’s motor which is not concerning any more this year. Certainly, I was concerned that we weren’t going to make it.”
Still, a top-five finish, his 15th of the year, tied him for his most ever in a single season in Cup.
“Top five, this track, I’ll take it every week,” he said.