Denny Hamlin extended Joe Gibbs Racing’s recent run of success in the Sprint Unlimited on Saturday night by delivering the organization’s 3rd straight victory in the non-points special event and its 4th in 5 years.
Hamlin, who started 15th in the 25-car field, pulled away on an overtime restart to notch his second Unlimited win in 3 years and 3rd overall. A late caution for a 5-car accident along the backstretch sent the race 4 laps past its scheduled distance. Hamlin’s #11 Toyota led a race-high 39 laps including the final 16 trips around Daytona International Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval.
Defending Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano finished 2nd with Paul Menard, Kyle Larson and Casey Mears completing the top five. Pole sitter Jimmie Johnson was involved in an accident early in the 2nd half of the race and finished 22nd.
Matt Kenseth, one of Hamlin’s teammates at J-G-R, placed 12th in his bid for back-to-back wins in the season-opening event. Reigning Sprint Cup Series champion Kyle Busch started 9th and finished 17th, sidelined by a wreck less than 10 laps from the finish. Brian Vickers, subbing for the injured Tony Stewart, placed 24th.
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– story by John Singler
www.mrn.com
Concord, NC
