Hamlin got tired of winning stages, so he got himself a win.
“The Greatest Season Ever” kicked off the Cup Series Playoffs in a place full of history. Richmond Raceway, the oldest track in the calendar, played host to the first race of the first round of the Postseason. Denny Hamlin was the first to make his way into the Round of 12 in a race full of bumps, bruises, and wrecks.
Early Damage
Stage one saw Hamlin and Ryan Blaney take the green flag at the front row. Hendrick Motorsports did not have a good start to the night as Alex Bowman went hard into the red and white walls. Teammate William Byron scraped by but took and did some damage avoiding the 48. Both cars had to visit pit road for repairs.
Michael McDowell ran out of luck very early as well. The 2021 Daytona 500 winner lost the rear end on the new patch of concrete entering turn 4. The Love’s car hit the wall and its race was done then and there. Australian James Davison wrecked his car thanks to a flat tire and he went out of the race as the sun was setting in South Carolina.
Hamlin was at the front by the time green flag pitstops had cycled through. At this point, he was still in one piece and that was all that mattered.
Under the Lights
Night took over for the start of the second stage. The sun was replaced by light towers and Hamlin was replaced by Kyle Larson at the front as the FedEx car dived into the pits. Twenty minutes later, the younger of the Busch brothers made a rookie mistake.
Kyle that is, bumped into Austin Dillon in what looked like nothing more than a spotter error. The 18 car was falling apart, the damage was so bad his pit crew made no attempt to mend the pieces: He went straight into the trailer and is now probably on its way to the next race. Green flag pitstops saw Christopher Bell take the lead, only for a while as he hadn’t stop for fuel yet.
Larson eventually took the lead back and ran away with it to win stage two. The final stage, however, would not go his way.
The Madman vs The Postman
The final stage of the race was an interesting affair. For starters, the field really spread wide as multiple pit cycles became a factor. Larson and Hamlin went into an all-out war for the win with only 17 cars left on the lead lap.
Here we saw two completely different driving styles: The Postman and the Madman. The Madman Larson is known to be an aggressive driver. Nonetheless, he kicked things up a notch this time. He slipped and slid all over the track and went as close to the wall as he could go in an effort to squeeze every bit of side-draft out of his car.
Postman Hamlin however, went on defense and fought off the number 5 as best as he could. The Madman shot himself in the foot in a desperate attempt that saw him brace the wall and cross the line second with the right side of his car almost completely flat.
Denny Hamlin takes the win and punches his ticket to the round of 12.
Next Stop for the Playoffs
The Cup Series Playoffs continue next week at Richmond Raceway with a Saturday race out on the East Coast.
Missed the end of the regular season? Check it out HERE
Feature Image: Getty Images
