Denny Hamlin wins Sport Clips 200 at Darlington Raceway

Denny Hamlin came in and stole one in the Xfinity Series over John Hunter Nemechek and Austin Hill at Darlington Raceway. The NASCAR Cup Series driver would steal the show on Saturday afternoon as his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate faced heartbreak again.

Between fighting off Austin Hill and Denny Hamlin, John Hunter Nemechek had his hands full. Late restart after restart, JHN had to hold his own and battle. Even when Hill got better pit stops off pit road, Nemechek fought back.

However, it was one restart too many. Denny Hamlin was fast and wasn’t going to let the Xfinity Series drivers show him up in the closing laps. Hamlin is your Sport Clips 200 winner in the Sport Clips Toyota Supra.

Denny Hamlin WINS at Darlington after a late NASCAR Xfinity Series restart! pic.twitter.com/NrqA2fjSew

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 2, 2023

This really was John Hunter Nemechek’s race to lose, once again. He won the pole award for the second time this year at Darlington. It just wasn’t enough. He led for most of the day, and fought Kyle Larson, Hill, and Hamlin, but that final restart was too much.

This was an example of a Cup Series driver outdueling less experienced and younger drivers. No shame in losing to one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers, after all. Kyle Busch was in this race as well as Ross Chastain. Larson had the speed to win but a bad carburetor put him multiple laps down and ruined his day.

Denny Hamlin looking for a Cup Series win

On Sunday, Denny Hamlin will try to follow this up with a Cup Series win. He starts off P2 behind his teammate Christopher Bell. Tyler Reddick starts P3 to give Toyota lots of help upfront from the start. That gives him great track position for the Cook Out Southern 500.

Hamlin has four wins at Darlington in his career. There has been a lot of solid speed in the weeks leading up to this race. Finishing his Xfinity Series venture with a checkered flag has to give him some confidence that he can go in and win on Sunday as well.

This isn’t just any race, it starts the Round of 16 and the NASCAR Playoffs. The 500 miles that the Cup Series will race tomorrow will help determine who the champion is at the end of the year in Phoenix. One DNF or bad result could set you back from the jump and ruin your day.

Denny Hamlin has a win, P2 start in tomorrow’s Cup Series race, and championship hopes on the line – should be a good one.