2017 Overton’s 301 Race Results – Hamlin Wins 1st of 2017
By Alex Herbst
Denny Hamlin earned his first win of 2017 and the first win of the season for Joe Gibbs Racing at New Hampshire on Sunday in a dominant race for Toyota.
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New Hampshire Motor Speedway may be losing a race in 2018, but the flat one-mile over in New England still produces some of the best short track racing in NASCAR. This was on full display on Sunday, with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series racing 301 miles around the magic mile. At the end of the day, Denny Hamlin conquered NHMS again, raising the lobster and winning for the first time in 2017.
The race was a show dominated by the Toyotas, with Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch combining to lead the most laps. Truex fell behind late on pit strategy, while Kyle Busch was penalized twice for speeding on pit road, opening up the battle for the race win. Matt Kenseth, in search of a ride for 2018, took the lead and look poised for a victory, but four fresh tires for Denny Hamlin allowed him to charge past. The #11 Toyota then held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson to win the Overton’s 301.
This victory was the first for Denny Hamlin in 2017, breaking a 28-race winless streak dating back to Richmond in September 2016. It was also the first win for Joe Gibbs Racing this season, with their most recent victory coming at Texas last year. Still, at this time in 2016, all four of the JGR drivers had earned at least one win. Today, only one out of four can say that.
The top two finishers on Sunday in Loudon had to battle back from issues earlier in the weekend. Hamlin crashed in practice, and took a backup car to the checkered flag in first. Kyle Larson, who came home second, started at the rear of the field after his lap was disqualified in qualifying. Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top 5.
Here are the full race results from the Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
- Denny Hamlin, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
- Matt Kenseth, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Daniel Suarez, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Clint Bowyer, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Kurt Busch, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Brad Keselowski, Ford, Team Penske
- Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Kyle Busch, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Danica Patrick, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
- Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ryan Blaney, Ford, Wood Brothers Racing
- Trevor Bayne, Ford, Roush Fenway Racing
- A.J. Allmendinger, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Paul Menard, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Landon Cassill, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Aric Almirola, Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports
- Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing
- Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, Leavine Family Racing
- Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing
- Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports
- David Ragan, Ford, Front Row Motorsports
- Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, Go Fas Racing
- Corey LaJoie, Toyota, BK Racing
- Ryan Sieg, Toyota, BK Racing
- Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, TMG-Circle Sport Racing
- Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports
- Gray Gaulding, Toyota, Premium Motorsports
- Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, Rick Ware Racing
- Joey Logano, Ford, Team Penske
- Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, Tri-Star Motorsports
- Erik Jones, Toyota, Furniture Row Racing
Next: Is Kyle Busch Close to Retiring from Xfinity?
The next race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is one of the crowned jewel events of the sport. The legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway awaits these top drivers, with 400 miles around the Brickyard to come. Coverage of the Brickyard 400 can be seen on Sunday, July 23 on your local NBC station.