Denny Hamlin Scores Closest Ever Daytona 500 Victory

Denny Hamlin Wins Daytona

Sarah Crabill/NASCAR via Getty Images

Denny Hamlin scored the closest finish in the history of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, beating out Martin Truex, Jr, by inches at the line for his first-career win the season-opening event for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Hamlin got underneath his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth coming out of turn four on the final lap and then barely edged Truex, Jr. by 0.010 seconds to take the checkered flag and give Toyota their first Daytona 500 victory.

Kyle Busch was third, followed by Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards.

Sunday's win was Hamlin's seventh overall at Daytona and his second in little more than a week after winning last Saturday's Sprint Unlimited, becoming just the sixth driver in history to sweep both races.

"This is the best. I mean, it's just the best. It's the biggest race of my life," said Hamlin. "The Daytona 500 is the pinnacle of our sport and I'm just proud to be here.

"I said with two to go that we have to get the team victory no matter what it takes and I essentially was trying to go up there and block (Harvick) to keep him from getting to those guys, but (Harvick) gave me such a strong push I just went with it and we ended up with a victory."

Hamlin first jumped up to the front of the field after a round of pit stops on lap 24 and quickly showed that the JGR Toyotas were a force to be reckoned with as he Kenseth and Kyle Busch combined to lead 154 of the 200 laps.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"] Hamlin, who led a race-high 95 laps, was out in front when the field came around for their final green-flag pit stops with 44 laps to go. Once the pit stops cycled around, it was Kenseth at the head of the field with Truex and Kyle Busch trailing.

Truex, who also started in the rear with a back-up car, worked with Kenseth and Busch at the front of the field thanks to the new technical alliance between JGR and Furniture Row Racing. The three ran nose to tail over the next 40 laps through two cautions flags.

As the race came down to the white flag the outside line tried to get organized with Joey Logano at the head of the line, but none of the front five were willing to step out to challenge Kenseth.

Coming through the backstretch on the final lap, Hamlin finally made a move, pulling to the high side looking for side draft around Kenseth.

Kenseth sensed the move and slid up to the high side to try to throw the block, but ended up losing the air as Hamlin got a bumper on Kenseth's left side pushed through to the lead.

Truex, Jr., who was left all alone after Kenseth moved up, had the advantage as they came into the tri-oval, but Hamlin had the momentum and nosed ahead of Truex, slamming Truex's door was the came to the stripe.

Denny Hamlin (11) edges Martin Truex, Jr. (78) to win the Daytona 500

Chris Trotman/NASCAR via Getty Images

"I know we got to the outside of the 18 (Kyle Busch), the 78 (Martin Truex Jr.) and then the 20 (Matt Kenseth) came up to block high and I saw that the middle was going to be the only way I could get around both of them and we cleared the 20 and drag raced with the 78," said Hamlin. "The last thing I wanted to do was wreck off turn four with my Toyota teammates and none of us win. We had talked about a plan overnight to just work together, work together and I've never seen it executed so flawlessly as what we did today."

Truex posted his career-best Daytona finish but lamented coming so close to winning the Daytona 500.

"I did all I could. I thought I had it," said Truex. "The last lap, we were in great position behind Matt. Felt like if Matt (Kenseth) would have stayed in front of us, maybe he would have probably held off Denny (Hamlin). (Kenseth) went up to try to block his run, Denny (Hamlin) cut inside, made it three-wide. Just side drafted me off of turn four all the way to the line. I felt like I had enough momentum to keep him behind me. I did all the way up until that last couple feet. (Hamlin) just shot out that last couple inches on me right before the line.

"Wish I would have crowded him up the track a little bit more late down the frontstretch. Those are split-second decisions. He came out on the right end of it today."

Hamlin's move on Kenseth spoiled what would have been an incredible rally by Kenseth, who came from the back for the field after starting the race in a backup car and led the last 40 laps all the way until the final turn – and ended up finishing 14^th.

[adinserter name="GOOGLE AD"] "There's a million things you could do differently, but I did what I thought I should do at the time to try to win," said Kenseth. "He (Denny Hamlin) had such a big run, he was going to go right around me in my opinion anyway and turn four was treacherous on the bottom. I didn't think we were in a good spot to try to win it with his run, so I was trying to get in front of him.

"Unfortunately, his run happened pretty late in the straightway and he had the whole width of the corner to make a move and he was able to cross back over and get under me."

Perennial favorite Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ended his day in the garage after spinning on lap 169 and nosing into the inside wall in the short chute.

"Driver mistake," said Earnhardt. "It caught me by surprise. I was trying to side-draft a guy beside me and boy, it pinned the right front. All the downforce there. We have been working on the balance all day. That was our problem."

Pole sitter Chase Elliott brought out the first caution flag on lap 20 after breaking loose in the frontstretch and tearing through the infield grass. He later returned to the track but finished 40 laps down.

"I'm not sure what happened, just got turned around there off of four. Got in the middle and got loose. Lost it and spun out," said Elliott. "I hate it for everybody at less than 20 laps in and have something dumb like that happen. We had a real fast car all week. Like I said, I just hate it ended so soon."

RACE RESULTS

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