NASCAR: Hamlin wins Cup race at Bristol

Denny Hamlin looks unbeatable in the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 Toyota as he won the Bass Pro Shops Cup race at Bristol.

After starting dead last, Kyle Larson came home 2nd in the #5 Hendrick Chevy, 2.437s behind.

Christopher Bell led the most laps in the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and finished 3rd.

Chris Buescher was 4th in the #17 Ford while Ty Gibbs rounded out the top-5 in another Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

McDowell, Stenhouse Jr., and past Cup Series champions Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick were eliminated from title contention with the Round of 16’s conclusion.

Martin Truex Jr. and Bubba Wallace climbed out from below the elimination line to be the last two into the Round of 12.

Climbing from his car, Hamlin leaned into his role as NASCAR’s number one hated driver.

“Everybody likes a winner, right?” He asked cheekily. “Can’t thank this whole FedEx team enough, they’ve really kicked ass this whole first round. Just amazing how good our team has been. I’m just so happy about the way we’re going and can’t wait to keep going.”

“It’s our year, I just feel like we’ve got it all put together. We’ve got the speed at every type of race track. Nothing to stop us at this point.”

By the way, if you’re one of the ones booing, Hamlin wants you to know something.

“I beat your favorite driver,” Hamlin lamented. When asked, which one? “All of ’em.”

Heading into the Round of 12, Denny Hamlin has a ton of confidence.

Denny Hamlin Quotes

Denny, I think you’re starting to like this with the fans, banter going back and forth. Do you?

DENNY HAMLIN: Man, everybody likes a winner, right? Can’t thank this whole FedEx team enough. They’ve really kicked ass this whole first round. Really amazing how our team has been. So happy about the way we’re running. Can’t wait to keep going.

You’ve made many Championship 4 runs. Is something different with the 11 team this year?

DENNY HAMLIN: It’s our year. I just feel like we’ve got it all put together. We’ve got the speed every single type of racetrack. Nothing to stop us at this point.

Are these fans motivation for you? A lot of boos out there.

DENNY HAMLIN: Hey, I beat your favorite driver.

Who would that be?

DENNY HAMLIN: All of ’em (smiling).

Round of 12 set after Bristol Night Race

After finishing second at Kansas Speedway a week prior, Denny Hamlin continued the upward trajectory with a convincing win at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Chris Buescher were a trio of additional drivers to make up the top five.

ELIMINATED DRIVERS

Joey Logano, Team Penske
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
Ricky Stenhouse Jr., JTG Daugherty Racing
Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports

ADVANCING TO THE ROUND OF 12

William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,036 points
Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,036 points
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,032 points
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,023 points
Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, 3,021 points
Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, 3,019 points
Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,016 points
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, 3,014 points
Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, 3,011 points
Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing, 3,011 points
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske, 3,008 points
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, 3,000 points

WHO’S HOT?

Kyle Larson. Starting at the rear of the field to begin the Bristol finale didn’t dissuade the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet from working up toward the front of the field and contesting the lead with Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. With Saturday’s finish, Larson finished the Round of 16 with results of first, fourth and second. Momentum-wise, that’s not too shabby.

Christopher Bell. Starting from the pole position for three consecutive races is definitely a jolt for the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and for Bell, this jolt helped net two top-10 finishes in the Round of 16, with both coming in back-to-back contests. Bell very well could be finding the speedy touch at the right time.

WHO’S NOT?

Ryan Blaney. The No. 12 Team Penske Ford finished several laps down and snapped a two-race stretch of finishing inside the top 15. Although Blaney has advanced to the Round of 12, there will be work to do.

Ross Chastain. Similar to Blaney, the playoff driver in Chastain will likely wish to flush his Bristol performance, with the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet finishing outside the top 20. The Round of 12 will be a fresh slate to regain early momentum found during the Round of 16.

NEXT RACE

The Round of 12 opens at Texas Motor Speedway for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 on Sept. 24 (3:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

WHO IT FAVORS

Tyler Reddick. In four career Cup races at Texas, Reddick’s worst finish was 15th (2020). His three other finishes? Second, ninth and first, with the Victory Lane appearance coming last year. Reddick’s 6.8 average finish ranks first among all active drivers with a minimum of two Cup races at the track. Couple the fact that Reddick has shown blistering speed up to this point of the postseason, and this seems like an easy layup for the No. 45.

WHO IT HURTS

Chris Buescher. RFK has taken a monumental leap forward in 2023, especially for Buescher, who has put together a career year behind the wheel of the No. 17 Ford. Texas, however, has proven to be a tough cookie in the past, with the Prosper, Texas native failing to crack the top 10 in any of his 13 career Cup races at the track. To make matters worse, Buescher has failed to lead a single lap, and his only finish inside the top 15 came in April of 2018. This year’s Buescher is admittedly a different version, but even still, Texas could prove to be a playoff roadblock for the title contender.

Race Results

POS	CAR	DRIVER	MAKE	BEHIND	LAPS
1	11	Denny Hamlin (P)		0.000	500
2	5	Kyle Larson (P)		2.437	500
3	20	Christopher Bell (P)		5.098	500
4	17	Chris Buescher (P)		9.206	500
5	54	Ty Gibbs #		9.237	500
6	34	Michael McDowell (P)		10.196	500
7	9	Chase Elliott (P)		15.325	500
8	6	Brad Keselowski (P)		15.795	500
9	24	William Byron (P)		16.113	500
10	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (P)		16.128	500
11	42	Carson Hocevar(i)		-1	499
12	41	Ryan Preece		-1	499
13	48	Alex Bowman		-1	499
14	23	Bubba Wallace (P)		-1	499
15	45	Tyler Reddick (P)		-1	499
16	38	Todd Gilliland		-1	499
17	3	Austin Dillon		-1	499
18	10	Aric Almirola		-1	499
19	19	Martin Truex Jr. (P)		-2	498
20	8	Kyle Busch (P)		-2	498
21	99	Daniel Suarez		-2	498
22	12	Ryan Blaney (P)		-2	498
23	1	Ross Chastain (P)		-2	498
24	43	Erik Jones		-3	497
25	7	Corey LaJoie		-3	497
26	15	JJ Yeley(i)		-5	495
27	14	Chase Briscoe		-5	495
28	21	Harrison Burton		-5	495
29	4	Kevin Harvick (P)		-5	495
30	16	AJ Allmendinger		-9	491
31	78	BJ McLeod(i)		-10	490
32	2	Austin Cindric		-12	488
33	77	Ty Dillon		-237	263
34	22	Joey Logano (P)		-238	262
35	31	Justin Haley		-239	261
36	51	Ryan Newman		-240	260

# DENOTES ROOKIE
(i) NOT ELIGIBLE FOR POINTS
(*) REQUIRED TO QUALIFY ON TIME