HAMLIN SCORES THIRD WIN OF THE SEASON AT DOVER
Hamlin, Ryan Truex deliver second straight Dover sweep
DOVER, Del. (April 28, 2024) – Denny Hamlin took the lead with 81 laps to go and held off Kyle Larson late to win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway on Sunday evening. Hamlin, who led a race-high 136 laps, earned his third points win of the season, in addition to his victory at the LA Clash to open the season, With Ryan Truex’s triumph on Saturday afternoon, Joe Gibbs Racing has now swept the NASCAR weekend at Dover for two consecutive seasons.
Martin Truex Jr. (third) and Ty Gibbs (10th) put three Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota’s in the top-10.
Corey Heim was impressive in his Cup debut, as the Toyota Development Driver subbed for the injured Erik Jones. Heim, ran near the top-20 most of the afternoon, before an untimely caution pinned the 21-year-old an extra lap down. The Georgia-native was scored 25th in his debut.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Dover Motor Speedway
Race 11 of 36 – 400 miles, 400 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, DENNY HAMLIN
2nd, Kyle Larson*
3rd, MARTIN TRUEX JR.
4th, Kyle Busch*
5th, Chase Elliott*
10th, TY GIBBS
11th, TYLER REDDICK
20th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
25th, COREY HEIM
28th, JIMMIE JOHNSON
32nd, BUBBA WALLACE
34th, CHRISTOPHER BELL
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Mavis Tire Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Was your pit crew getting you out first at the end what mattered most?
“No, the winning moment – because Kyle (Larson) got back by around us. The winning moment was getting around him on that quick restart we had when we had that caution. He controlled the restart. I got a really good restart on the bottom, and that was a big moment to clear him before that caution came out. Similar to what happened with Chase (Elliott) at Texas, where I was controlling it – till I wasn’t, but the tides turned today, and I was able to control the restart. Our Mavis Tire Toyota was just so good on the short run. I knew he was going to make a charge, but I just tried to hit my marks. As long as I hit my marks, I felt confident I could hold him off. This team just did an amazing job, and we wouldn’t be here without all of our partners – Mavis Tire, Toyota, TRD, FedEx, Sport Clips, Coca-Cola, Shady Rays and Logitech.”
What does this win mean to you?
“My crew chief (Chris Gabehart) challenged me to get at least one win in the next three weeks before the All-Star break to not be depressed. You are going to have to go out and do that for me. I knew that these three tracks coming up – here, Kansas and Darlington – we can win them all.”
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
Martin, you come home in third place. Looked like you had the dominant car. We saw the damage to the nose. Was that the difference at the end?
“I mean, at the end, yeah. In the middle of the race, losing the lead was the difference maker. Just lost the lead to the 5 (Kyle Larson) there. Once I got close to him, tried to start moving around, I got a little too tight. He was backing up. It just didn’t quite have what I needed to get by him. They all pounced on us, and we lost control of the race. Then I got the nose damage. Feel like we let one get away today. Had a really strong Bass Pro Camry. You can’t lose control of these races mid stage like that. The track changes, you get behind. Man, just stinks. Overall, a good day. Just keep working on it.”
JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK, No. 42 Acme Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 20th
Can you talk about your race?
“P20 on the day. Hard fought day. I don’t really know if it helped us or hurt us, as far as pit strategy and the caution coming out in the end, but we were able to wave and get one lap back and we were able to fight for the lucky dog there. Solid quiet day for this Acme Toyota team. P20. Going to Kansas next week, one of my favorite race tracks.”
COREY HEIM, No. 43 Dollar Tree/Petty 75th Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 25th
Can you tell us what it was like competing in the Cup Series?
“It was definitely a lot different. I’ve been kind of saying it all weekend – a big change compared to what I’m used to. Really from the beginning to middle of the race, I felt like we had a ton of speed. We kind of got messed up on the cycle there when the leaders pitted. I pitted a lap later and then the caution came out right away, which pinned us an extra lap down. We were beating the guys that finished 15th through 20th, so I think that’s kind of where we were supposed to end up – but that is part of racing. I’m super thankful to LEGACY MOTOR CLUB for putting me in the Dollar Tree Petty 75 Camry this weekend and believing in me. I feel like we should have been six or seven spot better, but it just didn’t work out that way.”
What were your emotions like on the grid and on the pace laps today?
“I really felt emotional. I feel like I’ve worked so hard for this moment. To finish where I ended up is unfortunate. I feel like I worked my butt off to be there. It’s a really cool moment for me.”
JIMMIE JOHNSON, No. 84 Dollar Tree/Family Dollar Toyota Camry XSE, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB
Finishing Position: 28th
How was your race?
“Tough day. We certainly had higher expectations for our performance today for our Dollar Tree, Family Dollar Camry. It was nice to get another race under my belt and get a better understanding of the car. We will just go back to the shop and get after it.”
BUBBA WALLACE, No. 23 XFINITY/U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
Finishing Position: 32nd
What happened out there?
“You had the long ride over here on the golf cart to figure out what you want to say, and I guess turning 30, going to be a dad – you’ve got to be more mature. It’s a bummer. I hate it for our Xfinity, U.S. Air Force Toyota. Not the result we needed – back-to-back DNF’s. Bootie (Barker, crew chief) said it perfect Monday. I was pissed off and frustrated after Talladega – he said, we are going to have to grind our asses off for Dover – from practice, to qualifying, to the race. It’s not going to be pretty. I don’t think he meant that part – the wrecking out part was not going to be pretty, but we had to grind. I’m proud of the effort we put in every week, just unfortunate that we have no results to show for it. We will just go on to Kansas, where hopefully, we are not around any squirrels and go kick their ass.”
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