Denny Hamlin predicted his win at Dover Motor Speedway on his podcast, saying ‘We’re going to win Dover’ and referencing Babe Ruth’s famous called shot. He followed through on his bold boast, holding off Kyle Larson to win the Cup race by a quarter of a second.
Hamlin led 136 laps and won at Dover for the second time in his career, tying him with William Byron for most wins this season. He also picked up his 54th career Cup win, all with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Larson finished second, but couldn’t pass Hamlin’s Toyota despite repeated attempts. Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Chase Elliott completed the top five.
The race saw a multi-car wreck with 71 laps left, taking out Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace, and William Byron. Kevin Harvick will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in place of Larson in practice and qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star race, as Larson will be attempting ‘The Double’ – running the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.
Hamlin’s next target is Kansas Speedway, where he’s the defending race winner, but he’s not calling his shot just yet.
