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Denny Hamlin credits Kyle Larson and pit crew for securing win at Darlington

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones04/06/25

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Denny Hamlin
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington on Sunday and thanked Kyle Larson for the assist. While speaking with Regan Smith of FOX Sports, Hamlin credited Larson and the pit crew for getting him his second consecutive victory.

“There’s two people I really love right now, my pit crew and Kyle Larson,” Hamlin said after the race. “Had a little assist there, so thank you. Man, the pit crew just did an amazing job. They won it last week, they won it this week. It’s all about them. Thanks SportClips, they have such a big deal here in Darlington, South Carolina.”

Denny Hamlin thanked Kyle Larson because Larson spun out during the final laps of the race, which led to an overtime. Hamlin got a good jump during the overtime restart, and that helped him get the win.

The victory comes one week after Hamlin won his first race of the year at Martinsville. In his career, Hamlin has won 56 cup series races, the 11th-most in NASCAR history, and the second-most for active full-time drivers (Kyle Busch has 63).

Michael Jordan shows love for Denny Hamlin

Before the race, NBA legend Michael Jordan, who co-owns 23XI Racing with Hamlin, praised his competitive spirit. “He is a clown, but that’s him,” Jordan said about the flag at last week’s race when speaking with Jamie Little before the race. “That’s Denny. He’s a very confident driver. He’s a very confident person. His competitive juice is no different than mine. I mean, I love that. I want him to win a championship so badly because I think he’s earned that. Because of what he’s done for the sport for so long. He’s gonna grind it out; that’s just the way Denny is.

“If you boo him, that makes him better. If you boo me, that makes me better. I mean, that’s just the nature of a good competitor. So, I’m very happy for his win last week. Don’t be surprised if he [wins] today.”

Hamlin is the second driver to win multiple races this year. Christopher Bell won three consecutive races after William Byron won the Daytona 500 to start the season.