NASCAR Winner Spotlight: Denny Hamlin Wins at New Hampshire

Denny Hamlin won his first race of 2017 at New Hampshire, earning him his moment in this week’s Winner Spotlight!

After 19 races, Denny Hamlin can finally call himself a 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series winner. Hamlin scored the all-important win in New Hampshire. It was his first win since the Richmond race in September of last season. Hamlin becomes the 12th different race winner of the season, of which 11 are locked into the playoffs.

As of late, Hamlin has really turned it on. The No. 11 had posted three 4th place finishes now over the last four races. heading into New Hampshire With all of that momentum building, he was poised to ride the wave and get over the hump into Victory Lane. He capitalized last weekend, winning for the third time in his career at Loudon.

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Though he was strong all day, the win was no lock until he crossed the finish line. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth both looked like they could pull this race off at times to deliver the team its first win of the season.

But Busch was hit with late pit road penalties, knocking him out of contention. Kenseth had a late lead, but a two-tire call under caution made him vulnerable to the guys behind him who took four, including Hamlin.

The two biggest threats to Hamlin were Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr., who finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The No. 42 and No. 78 have arguably been the best cars on the track this season. Holding those two off, including a charging Larson in the final laps, may have been the biggest takeaway from Hamlin’s victory. It proved that the No. 11 can run out front and hold off the top two championship favorites on its way to a victory.

Another impressive moment came after the race when Hamlin put on one more show for the fans with a sweet burnout. His love for Loudon and its fans was clear as he went as far as he could to smoke the bleachers before rubber exploded from the rear of the car.

The win locks Hamlin and the No. 11 team into the playoffs later this season. He became the first Joe Gibbs Racing driver to win in 2017. Next week, Hamlin will look to win the Brickyard 400 for the first time in his career.

Next: Driver Grades from New Hampshire

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