DARLINGTON, S.C. – A driver that couldn’t win a race during NASCAR’s 26-race regular season hit his stride in the first race of NASCAR’s playoffs.
Denny Hamlin won Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, holding off the charging Kyle Larson, who nearly knocked down the turn four wall on the last lap in a valiant to win the race.
The ending at NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway looked like it came straight from a video game.
RESULTS: Cook Out Southern 500
Larson went after the win so hard when he hit the turn four wall that he flattened the right side of the No. 5 Chevrolet, driving it on the cool down lap with sparks flying from underneath the car.
Hamlin’s third Southern 500 victory makes him the first driver to advance into the round of 12 in the NASCAR playoffs.
It was Hamlin’s fourth win at Darlington Raceway and the 45th NASCAR Cup victory of his career.
“Southern 500, it’s a big win,” Hamlin said afterwards. “I love this race track. It’s by far my favorite race track. It’s just great. Everyone at JGR that builds these fast cars.
“Kyle (Larson) drove it in past the limit of the cars and the tires. I knew he was coming. I was a little bit conservative on that last lap because I had that four-car-length lead. Yeah, I didn’t think it was going go that deep, but yeah, still a great race.
“It’s been back and forth with me and him most of the year. He’s just been a little bit faster on these types of race tracks, and luckily the caution came when it did and the strategy worked out great for the team, but man, I’m really happy.
“He was going to have to go through me. I knew that was about the only thing. But yeah, it was great, and those guys had the fastest car for most of the day. The 42 (Ross Chastain) was super strong too. Really just happy for our team.”
In a season where Hamlin drove very well, he just didn’t have a win to show for it.
That ended as soon as the playoffs began.
“It was a matter of time,” Hamlin said. “We can’t just keep leading inside 10 laps to go every week and not get a win. Yesterday (in the Xfinity Series race) were some unique circumstances but, man, I tell you what, I couldn’t be happier for this win and now to move to the Round of 12.”
Larson’s incredible bid for the win with sparks flying and fenders rubbing against the wall fell .212 seconds short.
“We got to the white, and I was like, well, I haven’t been able to gain on him now, I’m going to try something,” Larson explained. “Honestly got to his bumper too quick. I was hoping he was going to run that diamond to kind of be safe and I could skirt to his outside, but I gave everything I had.
“I didn’t want to wreck him, I just wanted to try to get to his outside there, but he did a great job not really making any mistakes during the last run, and I was having to push really hard in second to try and just stay with him.
“I was hoping we’d catch some sort of traffic, but we never really did. Our Chevy was really good out front, just in traffic I would get stuck. Like in traffic I just got stuck really bad, and then there at the end losing control of the race really hurt us, but all-in-all a great day, good points day. Pit crew did great. Cliff (Daniels) made some good changes in the car, so try again next week.”
Chastain finished third in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. He is not part of the 16-driver field in the NASCAR Playoffs.
“I think my car was the fastest car here tonight,” Chastain said. “It’s humbling to be in the final 10 races for Chip Ganassi Racing.
“I feel like I’ve put in work, but I always feel behind, so I never feel fully prepared. So, I’m not going to say that. I’m going to say it’s probably a lot of hot Saturday nights in south Florida racing at 417 Speedway. We don’t run up against the fence there, but it’s as sideways as we are here at Darlington, and I didn’t run up against the fence at all tonight. A lot of Florida Saturday night short tracks and a lot of older, wiser guys and other racers down there that taught me a lot. To come back here now three years later for the people that supported me then and put me in that car.
“We’re still here and we’re still fighting, and it means the world.”
Martin Truex, Jr. finished fourth in another Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion, rounded out the top five in the No. 4 Ford.
Hamlin drove to victory at an average speed of 153.153 mph in a race that lasted 4 hours, 10 minutes, 3 seconds – longer than this year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
There were 11 caution period and 10 leaders.