Denny Hamlin’s late surge leads to a Richmond win in the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday afternoon.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads into Richmond, Virginia to begin a stretch of short-track battles. Richmond Raceway is the first of three scheduled short tracks on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule. The racing at Richmond is always a precursor to what lies ahead at Martinsville and Bristol. The races are always close, cars are pushing and shoving, and many drivers are going home in poor moods.
Polesitter, Ryan Blaney Leads the field to the Green Flag
Once more, Ryan Blaney kicks off the race in the lead after winning the pole on Saturday. He jumped out to an early lead and took control of the opening stage of the race. After a caution with Kurt Busch stalling out, Ryan Blaney reassumed the lead.
The race broke out in a long green-flag run to make it to the end of the segment. Ryan Blaney had no issues leading the pack to win the opening stage.
Martin Truex Prevails in the Second Stage
Heading into stage two, Ryan Blaney continued to set the pace. Bringing the race to another green flag that spanned the entirety of the second stage. Martin Truex Jr was running strong in the sixth position.
The No. 19 JGR team made a play call to short pit the field and Truex Jr was the first one on pit road during the green flag run. The move paid off as Truex Jr was the first driver on fresh tires and was able to gain a lot of track positions.
Truex Jr. was able to jump from sixth to first during the green flag cycle. His short pit was good enough to give him the win for the second stage.
William Byron Gets an Early Lead in the Third Stage
Martin Truex Jr. retained the lead coming into the final segment of the race. However, two early cautions interrupted his momentum. As he came down pit road, William Byron stayed out to lead the field.
For 136 laps, the race ran caution-free with Byron leading. He held the lead after completing a green flag stop, but the race was on. Martin Truex Jr. tracked down William Byron from three seconds back to get to within a car length. However, Truex Jr. was not the one to worry about.
Denny Hamlin’s Late Surge Leads to a Richmond Win
Denny Hamlin loomed in the background and gained on the leaders. He was able to pass Truex Jr. with five laps to go. He quickly gained on Byron and proved to be too much for the young star. Denny Hamlin easily made the pass with two laps remaining. Hamlin pressed on for one final lap and took the checkered flag in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway.
The NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings
Seven different races with seven different race winners. This season is beginning similarly to the previous. Only nine more playoff spots are available with 19 regular-season races remaining. Playoff spots are open, and teams may be unsettled. The urgency to win is high and teams are on notice with the emotion shown by drivers after races this season.
Denny Hamlin was fired up for obvious reasons on Sunday. It was a big win for him and it sets his team up to chase down playoff points throughout the regular season.