Hamlin Wins Mid-Week Race at Darlington

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Denny Hamlin won the rain-shortened Toyota 500 from Darlington Raceway on Wednesday night.

Rain dominated the headlines throughout the week, as it postponed Tuesday’s Xfinity Series race and delayed the green flag for Wednesday’s Cup Series race by over an hour.

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Once the race went green, drivers were on edge with rain threatening throughout most of the night.  With Hamlin in the lead during a late caution, the rain finally arrived and ended the race 20 laps short of the scheduled distance.

Hamlin stayed out with old tires late in the race, and he was able to hold off Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott on the final restart.  When Busch and Elliott got together to bring out the final caution, the rain finally arrived and the race was cut short.

Hamlin said his team was able to unload with a fast car for both Darlington races this week.

“The pit crew did a great job today,” Hamlin said.  “I was pretty happy with how it all turned out.”

Hamlin said the track plays to his strengths as a driver, which helped him get to victory lane.

“It’s a driver’s racetrack,” Hamlin said.  “You can move around, you can do different things to make your car handle and we just got it right today.”

Busch and Elliott were racing for second place when the two made contact, sending Elliott spinning into the inside wall.  Elliott, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver, got out of his car and gave Busch the finger before getting into the ambulance.

Busch spoke to Elliott’s crew chief following the race, and said he just made a mistake while trying to conserve his track position.

“There’s no question, I made a mistake and just misjudged the gap,” Busch said.  “I made a mistake and clipped the 9 [of Elliott] there and spun him into the wall.”

Busch said he will reach out to Elliott in the coming days to speak about the incident, but that he is aware Elliott’s team will be upset.

“They’re upset, they’re mad,” Busch said.  “I’m not just going to fix it and we’re going to go have ice cream tomorrow.  Obviously they’re going to have to dwell on it…the repercussions of it, I’ll have to deal with on down the road.”

Unofficial results:

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Kyle Busch

3. Kevin Harvick

4. Brad Keselowski

5. Erik Jones

6. Joey Logano

7. Aric Almirola

8. Jimmie Johnson

9. Matt DiBenedetto

10. Martin Truex Jr.

11. Christopher Bell

12. William Byron

13. Tyler Reddick

14. Ryan Newman

15. Kurt Busch

16. Bubba Wallace

17. Michael McDowell

18. Alex Bowman

19. Ty Dillon

20. Austin Dillon

21. Ryan Blaney

22. Clint Bowyer

23. Chris Buescher

24. Corey LaJoie

25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

26. Quin Houff

27. Daniel Suarez

28. JJ Yeley

29. Joey Gase

30. Matt Kenseth

31. Cole Custer

32. Gray Gaulding

33. Timmy Hill

34. Garrett Smithley

35. John Hunter Nemechek

36. BJ McLeod

37. Brennan Poole

38. Chase Elliott

39. Ryan Preece

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Harvick Wins at Darlington as NASCAR Returns from Shutdown

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Kevin Harvick won the Real Heroes 400 from Darlington Raceway on Sunday afternoon in NASCAR’s return to racing.

NASCAR returned to the track for the first time after a 71-day shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The race was run without fans in attendance, and there were no practice or qualifying sessions leading up to the race.

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Harvick had a dominant car throughout the race, and led 159 laps. 

Harvick said his team’s ability to unload with a fast car helped them succeed under Sunday’s unusual circumstances.

“I think as you look at Darlington and as you look at the things that happened this weekend, we really thought it was going to play into our hand,” Harvick said.  “Our guys are so good at hitting the car off the truck.”

The victory was Harvick’s 50th in the Cup Series, which tied him with NASCAR Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett.

Harvick said it was odd to pick up such a big victory without fans in attendance.

“It’s a pretty big honor to win 50 races in this deal,” Harvick said.  “It is weird, just because there’s nobody up there.  I didn’t think it was going to be that much different, and then we won the race and it’s dead-silent out here.  We miss the fans.”

Alex Bowman finished second, and was one of four strong Hendrick Motorsports drivers that challenged up front all race long. 

Bowman said second was a good way to restart the season.

“Sucks to finish second, but it’s really good to restart the season this way with a strong car off the truck,” Bowman said.  “It was a lot of fun to get to race a guy like Kevin at a place like Darlington.  Thought if I could get him there on the restart we’d have had a shot at it, but just came up a little bit short.”

NASCAR will return to Darlington on Wednesday night for the Toyota 500.  As with Sunday’s event, there will not be qualifying or practice for the race.  Instead, the field will line up based on the results of Sunday’s race, with the Top 20 finishers inverted.

Unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Alex Bowman

3. Kurt Busch

4. Chase Elliott

5. Denny Hamlin

6. Martin Truex Jr.

7. Tyler Reddick

8. Erik Jones

9. John Hunter Nemechek

10. Matt Kenseth

11. Austin Dillon

12. Aric Almirola

13. Brad Keselowski

14. Matt DiBenedetto

15. Ryan Newman

16. Ryan Blaney

17. Clint Bowyer

18. Joey Logano

19. Ty Dillon

20. Ryan Preece

21. Bubba Wallace

22. Cole Custer

23. Michael McDowell

24. Christopher Bell

25. Daniel Suarez

26. Kyle Busch

27. Brennan Poole

28. JJ Yeley

29. Reed Sorenson

30. Joey Gase

31. Corey LaJoie

32. Chris Buescher

33. Timmy Hill

34. Josh Bilicki

35. William Byron

36. Quin Houff

37. Garrett Smithley

38. Jimmie Johnson

39. BJ McLeod

40. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Logano Wins in Phoenix

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Joey Logano won the FanShield 500 from Phoenix Raceway on Sunday afternoon after surviving multiple late restarts.

Logano had an eventful day that included a pit road penalty halfway through the race that forced him to work his way back through the field.  After getting to the lead, he was able to hold off challenges from Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch in the closing laps.

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Logano said his car was strong enough to overcome the pit miscues early in the race.

“Boy, we had more things go wrong today,” Logano said.  “Unfortunate situation with the jack breaking...just had some good restarts to get ourselves back up there.  We had a really good car.”

Logano held off Harvick over two late-race restarts.  Harvick, who has been a consistent front-runner at Phoenix, was unable to get close enough to Logano in the closing laps to make a winning move.

Logano said he changed his driving style because he was expecting contact from Harvick.

“I knew racing Kevin was going to be hard there; figured I was going to get hit,” Logano said.  “I thought he was going to give me the bump-and-run, which I would expect and wouldn’t blame him for.”

Harvick said once he lost the lead he wasn’t able to control the race how he would have liked.

“[Logano] just had control of the race,” Harvick said.  “After we pitted there, we got stuck behind a couple cars and lost five or six spots.  He got by and got control of the race.”

“Our Jimmy John’s Ford was better…we just didn’t get the control of the race and he was able to get by us on that restart where I got hung up.”

Unofficial results:

1. Joey Logano

2. Kevin Harvick

3. Kyle Busch

4. Kyle Larson

5. Clint Bowyer

6. Kurt Busch

7. Chase Elliott

8. Aric Almirola

9. Cole Custer

10. William Byron

11. Brad Keselowski

12. Jimmie Johnson

13. Matt DiBenedetto

14. Alex Bowman

15. Ty Dillon

16. Michael McDowell

17. Chris Buescher

18. Ryan Preece

19. Bubba Wallace

20. Denny Hamlin

21. Daniel Suarez

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

23. Ross Chastain

24. Christopher Bell

25. John Hunter Nemechek

26. JJ Yeley

27. Corey LaJoie

28. Erik Jones

29. Joey Gase

30. Reed Sorenson

31. Brennan Poole

32. Martin Truex Jr.

33. Tyler Reddick

34. Quin Houff

35. Garrett Smithley

36. Austin Dillon

37. Ryan Blaney

38. Timmy Hill

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Bowman Dominant in California

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Alex Bowman won the Auto Club 400 from the Auto Club Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Bowman dominated throughout the weekend and led a race-high 110 laps.  Bowman unloaded fast on Friday, and he ran fast laps throughout both practices and qualified towards the front of the field.

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Bowman said this was the second week in a row where his team was fast from start to finish.

“We’ve unloaded the last two weeks; I don’t think we’ve got a change in the racecar from how it came off the truck,” Bowman said.  “[Crew chief] Greg Ives and all the guys are just on point.”

Bowman said this victory is a statement for all the hard work his team has put in since his first win last June.

“The first one…was a really enjoyable experience, and then we sucked for six months,” Bowman said.  “We started this year so strong; I feel like I’ve got a lot of things on my side that I’m doing better.”

Kyle Busch finished second on Sunday after struggling with his car’s handling throughout the weekend.

Busch said his team is continuing to work on their speed.

“We have a lot of work to do,” Busch said.  “It wasn’t a second-place car, but thankfully we got a good finish out of it.”

Ryan Blaney seemed like he had the only car that could challenge Bowman, but he needed to pit for tires with two laps to go after shredding the right-rear tire.

Blaney, who finished second in the first two races of the season, said he wasn’t frustrated with the early season misfortune.

“I didn’t see any frustration,” Blaney said.  “Just corded a right-rear there at the end and gave up a good finish.  That one didn’t work out in our favor…just unfortunate end to the day, again.”

Unofficial results:

1. Alex Bowman

2. Kyle Busch

3. Kurt Busch

4. Chase Elliott

5. Brad Keselowski

6. Denny Hamlin

7. Jimmie Johnson

8. Aric Almirola

9. Kevin Harvick

10. Erik Jones

11. Tyler Reddick

12. Joey Logano

13. Matt DiBenedetto

14. Martin Truex Jr.

15. William Byron

16. Chris Buescher

17. Ross Chastain

18. Cole Custer

19. Ryan Blaney

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

21. Kyle Larson

22. Michael McDowell

23. Clint Bowyer

24. Austin Dillon

25. John Hunter Nemechek

26. Ty Dillon

27. Bubba Wallace

28. Daniel Suarez

29. Corey LaJoie

30. Ryan Preece

31. JJ Yeley

32. Brennan Poole

33. Joey Gase

34. Garrett Smithley

35. Quin Houff

36. Reed Sorenson

37. Timmy Hill

38. Christopher Bell

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Logano Wins in Las Vegas

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Joey Logano won the Pennzoil 400 from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon to pick up his first win of the season.

Logano, who was in just his second race with new crew chief Paul Wolfe, used pit strategy to get to Victory Lane.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

When a late caution came out with just five laps to go, Logano stayed out on track while most of the leaders pitted.  Logano was able to keep the lead on the final restart, and was leading when John Hunter Nemechek spun to bring out the caution that ended the race.

Logano said the call was a miscommunication between him and his new crew chief.

“Not really sure if I was supposed to stay out or come in, wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do,” Logano said.  “This is a huge win, and nice to start out and kick off the season with a ‘W.’”

Logano used a push from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to get to the lead on the final restart, and said that allowed him to use clean air to get the win.

“I watched him and he pushed me, and then he shoved me ahead which was great,” Logano said.  “That was the winning move.  Clean air was going to be king, especially on old tires…if I got swallowed up by a few cars I was going to go back real quick.”

Matt DiBenedetto finished second in just his second race with his new team Wood Brothers Racing. 

DiBenedetto stayed out under the final caution to get track position, and he said his team worked hard throughout the day to get his car to where it needed to be.

“This whole team…we were covered, and it wasn’t pretty at the start,” DiBenedetto said.  “They did an excellent job.  So happy to be working with this team, the journey’s been pretty cool.”

“Tough to be that close, but this is only the second race of the season.”

Unofficial results:

1. Joey Logano

2. Matt DiBenedetto

3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

4. Austin Dillon

5. Jimmie Johnson

6. Bubba Wallace

7. Brad Keselowski

8. Kevin Harvick

9. Kyle Larson

10. Ty Dillon

11. Ryan Blaney

12. Clint Bowyer

13. Alex Bowman

14. Chris Buescher

15. Kyle Busch

16. Corey LaJoie

17. Denny Hamlin

18. Tyler Reddick

19. Cole Custer

20. Martin Truex Jr.

21. Aric Almirola

22. William Byron

23. Erik Jones

24. John Hunter Nemechek

25. Kurt Busch

26. Chase Elliott

27. Ross Chastain

28. JJ Yeley

29. Brennan Poole

30. Daniel Suarez

31. Joey Gase

32. Quin Houff

33. Christopher Bell

34. Reed Sorenson

35. Garrett Smithley

36. Michael McDowell

37. Ryan Preece

38. Timmy Hill

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Denny Hamlin Wins Daytona 500, Newman Taken to Hospital Following Accident

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Denny Hamlin won the 62nd running of the Daytona 500 on Monday night from Daytona International Speedway.

Hamlin won his third Daytona 500 on Sunday following a photo finish with Ryan Blaney.

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Hamlin, who was one of the favorites going into the weekend, said it was unexpected to win his second-consecutive Daytona 500.

“I knew [Ryan Newman and Blaney] were going to come with a big run right there; my job was to just not put a block that was going to wreck me,” Hamlin said.  “I got to the 12 [of Blaney’s] bumper, got to pushing him there and I knew I was going to give him a big run.”

Hamlin’s celebration was subdued as teams waited to hear any information on Newman, who wrecked coming to the checkered flag.  Newman was turned into the outside wall, flipped and was hit in the driver’s side by Corey LaJoie. 

Newman was extracted from his car by safety personnel and taken to the local hospital.

Drivers up and down pit road were worried about Newman’s condition.

“We pushed Newman there to the lead, and then we got a push from the 11 [of Hamlin],” Blaney said after finishing second.  “I made a move off turn four on Newman and he blocked it.  I kind of went low and he blocked that, so then I was committed to just pushing him to the win; I guess we got our bumpers hooked up wrong.”

“I hope he’s alright; it looked pretty bad.”

“Number one, we’re praying for Ryan,” Hamlin said.  “I think we take for granted sometimes how safe the cars are.”

Unofficial results:

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Ryan Blaney

3. Chris Buescher

4. David Ragan

5. Kevin Harvick

6. Clint Bowyer

7. Brendan Gaughan

8. Corey LaJoie

9. Ryan Newman

10. Kyle Larson

11. John Hunter Nemechek

12. Austin Dillon

13. Justin Haley

14. Michael McDowell

15. Bubba Wallace

16. Brennan Poole

17. Chase Elliott

18. Erik Jones

19. Matt DiBenedetto

20. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

21. Christopher Bell

22. Aric Almirola

23. Joey Gase

24. Alex Bowman

25. Ross Chastain

26. Joey Logano

27. Timmy Hill

28. Tyler Reddick

29. Ryan Preece

30. Ty Dillon

31. Reed Sorenson

32. Martin Truex Jr.

33. Kurt Busch

34. Kyle Busch

35. Jimmie Johnson

36. Brad Keselowski

37. Cole Custer

38. BJ McLeod

39. Quin Houff

40. William Byron

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Jones Survives the Carnage to Win Busch Clash

Originally written for CLNS Media.

Erik Jones drove a battered car to victory lane in Sunday afternoon’s season-opening Busch Clash from Daytona International Speedway.

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Jones won the exhibition race with a car that had been involved in multiple accidents.  Jones was one of just six cars still running at the end of the race, and he and his teammate Denny Hamlin linked up to go to the front.

Jones said his damaged car helped him stay connected with Hamlin on the final lap.

“Honestly, my car was so draggy it wasn’t too much for him to stay connected and he was able to push us home,” Jones said.  “Huge thanks to Denny…he stuck with us there that whole last lap.”

The race had numerous wrecks that took out the majority of the 18-car field, including favorites Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott and defending Cup Series Champion Kyle Busch. 

Hamlin said the reason for the carnage was lead cars throwing late blocks on the competition.

“I think everyone’s got to realize that these late blocks just don’t work,” Hamlin said.  “The way they used to drive superspeedway races where you really had time to see the runs coming…it just doesn’t work.”

“It causes the carnage...if you don’t want to finish, you continue to do the same thing over and over.”

The Busch Clash was the first event in NASCAR’s week-long buildup to the Daytona 500 on February 16th.  Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Alex Bowman qualified on the front row for Sunday’s race, and the rest of the field will be set on Thursday during the Bluegreen Vacations Duels.

Unofficial results:

1. Erik Jones

2. Austin Dillon

3. Clint Bowyer

4. Kyle Larson

5. Ryan Newman

6. Denny Hamlin

7. Chase Elliott

8. Ryan Blaney

9. Joey Logano

10. Aric Almirola

11. Jimmie Johnson

12. Kurt Busch

13. Kevin Harvick

14. William Byron

15. Alex Bowman

16. Martin Truex Jr.

17. Brad Keselowski

18. Kyle Busch

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images