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The eleventh points-paying race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series regular season at Dover Motor Speedway yesterday saw drivers take to the 1-mile-long oval track in a bid to advance to the postseason playoffs. Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin managed to blitz the field on Sunday as the green flag fell during the 2024 Wurth 400 at one of the most difficult venues for overtaking on the season's calendar.
Coupled with the Next Gen Cup Series cars, drivers were seen complaining at the end of the 400-mile-long event regarding the seventh-generation racecar's ability to race and overtake at tracks other than 1.5-mile-long intermediate facilities.
The weekend in Delaware kicked off with Richard Childress Racing driver Kyle Busch getting the Busch Light Pole Award on Saturday. However, the #8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver failed to convert the same into a win come race day.
Other highlights from the race included Kyle Larson chasing victory during the final stages of the race. Despite coming up short by a quarter of a second as the checkered flag fell, the Hendrick Motorsports driver seemed content with his performance.
Winners & Losers from 2024 NASCAR Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway
Winner: Denny Hamlin
The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver stood out in the NASCAR Cup Series field with a substantial lead during the final stage of the 400-mile-long event.
Despite being challenged by Kyle Larson during the final laps of the race, Hamlin managed to defend his position and bag his third victory of the season.
Loser: Ryan Preece
Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Preece retired during the early stages of the 2024 Wurth 400 after driving around the track in a smoke-filled Ford Mustang Dark Horse. The door padding foam inside the #41 driver's car was suspected of being ablaze, causing the untimely retirement from Tony Stewart's Cup Series stable.
Winner: Noah Gragson
While Ryan Preece ended his day with a DNF at Dover Motor Speedway, Noah Gragson managed to punch in his second straight top-10 finish in NASCAR with a P6 position. Gragson has managed to bounce back from a string of dismal results before his top 10 appearances. It remains to be seen if he can continue his momentum going forward.
Loser: Bubba Wallace
23XI Racing driver Bubba Wallace's bad luck continued at Dover Motor Speedway, which saw the #23 Toyota Camry XSE driver retire for the second straight week. Owing to his past two finishes outside the top 30, Wallace has also fallen out of the top 16 drivers list eligible to qualify for the playoffs.
Winner: Kyle Busch
Despite not being the most cheerful driver after the race, Kyle Busch's P4 finish during NASCAR's visit to Dover saw the #8 Chevy driver break his previous string of bad results in the NASCAR Cup Series. Busch's P4 finish is his best since his P3 in Atlanta earlier in the season.
Loser: Christopher Bell
The driver of the #20 Camry XSE, Christopher Bell's string of bad luck seems to have continued at Dover with him being collected in a late race crash that wiped out Bubba Wallace and William Byron from contention as well. The JGR driver finished in P34, his second consecutive finish outside the top 30.
