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Denny Hamlin bagged one of the most coveted trophies in stock car racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Sunday. Coca-Cola 600 took place during Memorial Day weekend and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver paid his respects to USMC Lance Corporal Jared Marcus Schmitz, who lost his life in 2021 while being deployed in Afghanistan.
Hamlin had a strong weekend as he bagged both the pole in qualifying and the victory in the race. He had three Daytona 500 and Southern 500 trophies, respectively, prior to last Sunday's race, with Coca-Cola 600 being the only major trophy missing from his display.
After a long wait, the 23XI Racing boss eventually secured his first Coca-Cola 600 trophy. While expressing his happiness about the win, Denny Hamlin said:
“It’s so special. It’s the last big one that’s not on my résumé. It means so much. Man, just can’t thank this whole team enough. Never won the Coke 600 before. This means a lot.”
The recently concluded 600-mile event was the longest race ever witnessed in NASCAR's history after lasting for over five hours with two overtimes. Following the long event, Hamlin admitted that his race hadn't been perfect, but that he had just placed himself in the right place at the right time to emerge as the winner.
Denny Hamlin's performance during qualifying at Charlotte Motor Speedway
Having started on pole, Denny Hamlin took the lead for several laps before other drivers began taking control. Stage 1 ended with the Tampa, Florida native sitting in the top ten; however, he was collected in a 13-car wreck at the end of Stage 2, but managed to come out alright.
The first overtime was a godsend for the No.11 as he had not led a single lap since the ninth lap of Stage 1. After a major crash that eliminated several drivers, Hamlin drove ahead and took the lead before the start of the second overtime. Kyle Busch then snatched the lead for a while before Hamlin edged him to collect his second win of the season.
The win marked his 48th career win as well as his second win of the season. His victory at the Coca-Cola 600 was also a huge achievement for Toyota, which has not had the best of performances this season. Denny Hamlin now places in 17th place in the NASCAR Cup Series standings.
