DENNY HAMLIN CAPTURES FIFTH CAREER DARLINGTON VICTORY
Second triumph of 2025 after last weekend’s win in Martinsville
DARLINGTON, S.C. (April 6, 2025) – Off a clutch pitstop by his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) crew and a swift overtime restart, Denny Hamlin captured victory at Darlington Raceway Sunday afternoon – his second straight win after last weekend’s triumph in Martinsville. Today’s result is Hamlin’s fifth career win at Darlington Raceway, which ties him for fourth all-time at the famed race track. He also claimed Cup Series career win number 56, which now puts him 11th on the all-time wins list.
Christopher Bell (third), Tyler Reddick (fourth and Ty Gibbs (ninth) joined Hamlin inside the top-10 on Sunday. Bell and Gibbs also took advantage of the race-flipping yellow, while Reddick was near the top of the field most of the afternoon and maintained position. The driver of the No. 45 Camry XSE for 23XI Racing took the lead after the last round of green flag pitstops and led 42 laps before finishing the day fourth.
The Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend for the first of two visits this season.
Toyota Post-Race Recap
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Darlington Raceway
Race 8 of 36 – 400.2 miles, 293 laps
TOYOTA FINISHING POSITIONS
1st, DENNY HAMLIN
2nd, William Byron*
3rd, CHRISTOPHER BELL
4th, TYLER REDDICK
5th, Ryan Blaney*
9th, TY GIBBS
17th, ERIK JONES
21st, BUBBA WALLACE
28th, CHASE BRISCOE
30th, JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK
34th, RILEY HERBST
*non-Toyota driver
TOYOTA QUOTES
DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st
Describe your emotions with today’s victory.
“I mean, truthfully, I wanted to race until the end. I thought third place (was) kind of what we had. This is just a quintessential race where you just put yourself in the right place, things will fall your way. They didn’t (really) fall our way – our pit crew won it. It comes down to these crunch time situations. I had to do my job on pit road executing, but I have to thank Sport Clips, TRD (Toyota Racing Development), Progressive, National Debt Relief, Kings Hawaiian, Yahoo!, Coca-Cola, Jordan Brand, Shady Rays, Logitech. My kids, my family, my fiancé. I mean, what a great day! I didn’t see that trophy before the race, but that’s awesome!”
You captured your sixth win at Darlington. How special is that?
“Yeah, it is. This place (Darlington Raceway) is so special. So difficult to get a win here. We didn’t have the best car today. We had a decent car, but this is a great team victory. I love getting this victory for the guys behind me.”
CHRISTOPHER BELL, No. 20 DEWALT Outdoors Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 3rd
Does it feel good to walk out of here with a top-five finish?
“Yeah, it does. That was a perplexing race. Even now thinking back on it, I don’t know what to think. At the beginning of the day, the car performance was not great, not capable of running inside the top-20. All of the sudden, we got that yellow that put me in the front and I could maintain the pace. I don’t know. These cars are very confusing, but overall, great execution from our team and we made something out of being in the back. Got a lucky break, then was able to execute on pitstops and restarts, and walked out of here with a top-five. Proud of everyone on this DEWALT Camry XSE team and happy to represent my mentor, Rick Ferkel.”
TY GIBBS, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 9th
How good does a top-10 finish feel?
“Yeah, it’s nice for sure. I know we’ll get more of those, but it was a good improvement. I’m not too worried; feel like we’ll be okay. Just continue to get everyone reps and figure it out. Excited for what the future holds. Know we’ll be good.”
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