Denny Hamlin ends 10 -year -old drought on Martinsville Speedway

Martinsville, VA. – On the track she loves to control, Denny Hamlin He was back on top with a new face at the top of his pit.

Racing star Joe Gibbs ended at Martinsville Speedway an engaged ten -year -old winning stripe and detained teammates Christopher Bell in their home status.

Hamlin, which was brought up for several hours in the suburbs of Richmond in Chesterfield, leads the active cup of the driver with six victories in Martinsville. Sunday, however, was his first chess flag on the oval 0.526 miles in the southwestern Virginia from 29 March 2015 and his first with the head of the crew Chris Gayle, who joined team 11 this season.

After the team reworked its settings, Camry, who “certainly felt like old times”, led Hamlin after taking over the lead at 274 final rounds Chase Elliott.

With the 55th victory of his career (binding NASCAR HALL OF FAMER Rusty Wallace For the 11th place on the list of career), 44-year-old Hamlin also since April in Dover set out 31-race winning lane.

“Chris Gayle, all engineers, crew Pit, everyone really decided to come here with a different approach than the last few years,” Hamlin said. “It was just amazing. It did all I needed to do it. Just like to win with Chris. God, I love the victory.”

Gayle was a surprising replacement for the long-time head of the crew Chris Gabehart, who moved to a powerful role in Joe Gibbs Racing after Hamlin has led to 23 victories since 2019-24. Gayle said the team told him about the move just before informing Hamlin.

“It’s probably a shock for Denny, of course,” Gayle said. “Gabehart was with him for a while. They were successful. But they made changes in JGR for improving the whole. I know that Denny probably feared:” I don’t want to start again at my age, I don’t want a new team. “

In what he called a “very unique” arrangement, Gayle was moved to a position without any significant personnel changes in the team. Hamlin, surrounded by familiar faces, said he had been well connected with the gayle who was previously the head of the crew Those gibbs.

“Chris had it hard,” Hamlin said. “When we didn’t have a great weekend, the people in the social media were just out to get it. They think it was a problem for all those years. It just wasn’t. He had a difficult task to have such young drivers throughout his career. It’s really hard to do.

Bell, which leads a cup series with three wins in 2025, finished second after the start of the pole position and Bubba Wallace Third when Toyotas swept the top three. Chevroletes of Elliott and Kyle Larson Rounded the first five.

“It was a great weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Bell, who ended up outside the top 10 over the last two weeks.

Hamlin had to survive four restarts-and several strong bell-in the last 125 laps when Martinsville created typical short-term skirmishes between several drivers.

The most important multicar accident included Toyota drivers Ty Gibbs and Tyler reddickwho had a discussion in the pit on civic harness.

Joey Logano was collected in the incident with Chase briscoe This caused the 10th and final caution. Triple Champion of the Cup series to blame Ross chastain For pressing Briscoe, who then came across Logano and tried to go back to Chastain.

“Ross just glued it to a close place,” Logano said. “He did it to restart earlier.

Bubba is a big day

Wallace tied the season best and improved to the eighth in the ranking of the Cup points, but after he was unable to push Hamlin, he was lamenting his lack of speed to restart.

“My restarts were terrible,” said Wallace, who controls Toyota No. 23 for 23xi Racing Team, co -owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan. “One of my best features, so I have to go back and study it. The last restart I let the other escape. I don’t know if I had something for Denny. It would be fun to try. But in everyone but calm, hell for Toyota.”

Postcase disqualification

Two hours after the race were announced by NASCAR officials Erik Jones“Toyota No. 43 was disqualified for not fulfilling the minimum weight requirement. Originally scored 24.

NASCAR also took Jones cars and You dillon to its research and development center for further control.

A special day turns into acidic

After being honored on Sunday morning with the announcement of the General Assembly in Virginia, which praised the 75th anniversary of the Wood Brothers Racing, Josh Berry He led 40 rounds in the team of the team’s hometown before the catastrophe. Berry No. 21 Ford was hit in the left back of Wallace while based on the pit.

Berry returned after he lost two rounds for repairs. He still managed to lead the most rounds for Wood Brothers Racing in Martinsville by NASCAR HALL OF FAMER David Pearson LED 180 29. April 1973.

Up the next

The cup series will race next Sunday on the historic Darlington Raceway, on the South Carolina track, which will celebrate the “weekend return” that encourages teams to present the years and uniforms of the crew.

It is the first of two annual races on the oval of 1.366 miles, which dates back to 1950. Brad Kesellowski He won last year’s Throwback and Chase Briscoe last September won the South 500.

Associated Press contributed to this report.