It took longer than expected but a familiar face ended up in victory lane at Dover Motor Speedway: Denny Hamlin.
The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Toyota driver held off teammate Chase Briscoe on older tires in overtime to win the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover for the second year in a row and third time in his career.
‘I had to endure a few restarts there. It was tough,’ Hamlin said after the race. ‘Those guys gave me a run for it, no doubt about it. But this whole team just did an amazing job.
‘Winning here at Dover is super special to me. This is a place that I had not been very good at the first half of my career and now to win back-to-back here over the past two years is amazing.’
Rain threatened the race for much of the early afternoon and finally hit in the final part of Stage 3. On lap 386, officials threw the red flag after Ross Chastain hit the wall exiting Turn 2. That led to a stoppage for nearly an hour to let the concrete track dry out.
While much of the field came dow pit road for fresh tires, Hamlin and the rest of the top seven in the running order stayed out to keep position. Briscoe, running in the back of the Top 10, was one of the first drivers to hit pit road.
Things got back up to speed before Christopher Bell spun on lap 393 and took out William Byron and Noah Gragson in the process. By that point, Briscoe had jumped into the top five. On the next restart, Zane Smith and Ryan Preece made contact, and when the caution waved, Briscoe had passed Kyle Larson and moved up to second, joining Hamlin on the front row for the overtime restart.
Briscoe took the lead early on in Stage 1 and charged back in overtime to challenge Hamlin for the win but couldn’t get past – even with his fresher tires.
‘I thought I did everything I needed to,’ Briscoe said after the race. ‘Thought I had him there for a second. I wish the back of the (Toyota) Camry was three inches shorter, I was so close to clearing him (on the overtime restart). I just couldn’t do it.’
Briscoe and Chase Elliott led the way for much of Stage 1. Elliott earned his first stage win in Stage 1 and Bell won Stage 2.
Hamlin worked his way through the field for much of the race after starting 13th to earn his fourth win of the season, which leads all drivers. It was also the 58th career win for Hamlin in the Cup Series, which ranks 11th all-time.
USA TODAY Sports had full coverage of the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. Scroll below for results and highlights.
NASCAR Cup race at Dover results
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
(22) Joey Logano, Ford
(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
(2) Austin Cindric, Ford
(7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(60) Ryan Preece, Ford
(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
(38) Zane Smith, Ford
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota
(21) Josh Berry, Ford
(41) Cole Custer, Ford
(88) Shane van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
(40) Noah Gragson, Ford
(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet
(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(51) Cody Ware, Ford
(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
NASCAR at Dover Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 highlights
NASCAR in-season challenge results
NASCAR’s inaugural in-season challenge began in Atlanta with 32 drivers entered with a chance at a $1 million prize. Now, two remain.
Ty Gibbs won the bottom of the bracket with his fifth-place finish ahead of challenger Tyler Reddick, who finished 12th. Last seed Ty Dillon continues his improbable run to the final round with a 20th-place finish – one ahead of his foe in Round 4, John Hunter Nemechek.
It’ll be a battle of the Tys – Gibbs vs. Dillon – in Indianapolis next weekend to decide who wins the sport’s first in-season challenge.
Denny Hamlin wins in overtime
Chase Briscoe challenged the defending race winner but Hamlin holds on for his fourth win of the season.
Race heading to overtime
After the restart from the red flag, multiple incidents brought out caution flags and the race is now in overtime.
Drivers back on the track
After an hour-long delay, organizers have put out the yellow flag to let the grid make its way around the dried out track. There are 13 laps and counting left in today’s race.
Red flag for rain late in Stage 3
The inclement weather finally hit Dover Motor Speedway with just 14 laps to go in the race. It’s been red flagged with Denny Hamlin in the lead ahead of Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott.
Bell, Elliott collide on restart
Following a caution period at the start of Stage 3, Chase Elliott made a run on the inside of leader Christopher Bell entering Turn 3. They collided and Bell spun but avoided contact with the wall or another driver. Elliott holds the lead as another caution flag comes out.
In-season challenge update
The final four of the in-season challenge are very close to each other in a spread out field. In the top of the bracket, No. 12 seed John Hunter Nemechek finished just ahead of No. 32 Ty Dillon at the end of Stage 2. No. 6 seed Ty Gibbs finished the stage in eighth, three spots ahead of his foe in the bottom of the bracket, No. 23 Tyler Reddick.
Christopher Bell wins Stage 2
A round of pit stops worked in Bell’s favor as the took the lead on lap 200. He led the final 50 of the stage by a comfortable gap. Alex Bowman is closing in slightly but remains more than three seconds behind. Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson round out the top five of the stage.
Chase Elliott wins Stage 1
The polesitter took the lead back from Chase Briscoe early on and controlled the first stage of racing from Dover. Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Alex Bowman round out the top five.
Chase Elliott leads the field back to green flag racing
The racing is back underway on lap 43. Elliott’s building a small lead while Chase Briscoe defends from Christopher Bell for second place.
Competition caution on lap 36
Because inclement weather affected qualifying, the teams were provided an early caution period to check on their cars. Chase Elliott leads over Chase Briscoe early on in Stage 1.
Green flag racing in Dover
We’re under way at the Monster Mile in Dover with Chase Briscoe taking the lead from Chase Elliott early on.
NASCAR Cup race at Dover: Start time, TV, streaming
Date: Sunday, July 20
Location: Dover Motor Speedway
Start time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: TNT with an altcast on truTV
Live stream: WatchTNT, Max and Sling TV
Watch the NASCAR Cup race at Dover on Sling
Who is on the pole for the NASCAR Cup race at Dover?
After Saturday’s qualifying was canceled because of inclement weather, Chase Elliott was awarded the pole position via NASCAR rules for setting the lineup without qualifying. NASCAR combines owners’ points, a driver’s finishing position in the preceding race and his fastest lap time in that race to rank the drivers and deterimine the lineup. This metric placed the Hendrick Motorsports driver in the top spot; Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe will also start on the front row.
Weather forecast for NASCAR Cup race at Dover
Weather impacted qualifying and it could play a part in the race. Accuweather forecasts show temperatures in the high 80s with intermittent clouds and a chance of showers in the afternoon. That chance peaks at 49% at 1 p.m. ET and steadily drops as the afternoon continues.
What is the lineup for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400?
(Car number in parentheses)
(9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
(19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
(20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
(45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
(24) William Byron, Chevrolet
(88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
(71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
(22) Joey Logano, Ford
(54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
(8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
(60) Ryan Preece, Ford
(17) Chris Buescher, Ford
(11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
(21) Josh Berry, Ford
(6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
(48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
(16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
(99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
(1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
(7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
(10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
(23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
(3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
(34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
(5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
(2) Austin Cindric, Ford
(43) Erik Jones, Toyota
(42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
(41) Cole Custer, Ford
(38) Zane Smith, Ford
(12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
(35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
(77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
(47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
(51) Cody Ware, Ford
(4) Noah Gragson, Ford
(44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet
How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Dover?
The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 is 400 laps around the 1-mile track for a total of 400 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 120 laps; Stage 2: 130 laps; Stage 3: 150 laps.
NASCAR In-Season Challenge fourth round matchups
We’re down to four drivers in the inaugural in-season challenge. Thirty-two Cup Series competitors entered the tournament starting at Atlanta. The field was cut down to 16 for Chicago, then down to eight in Sonoma, leaving a final four in the fourth round.
Round 4 has just one top-10 seed remaining (Gibbs) as well as the lowest seed in the challenge (Dillon). Two drivers will advance to the final round next week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Top half of draw
No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek vs. No. 32 Ty Dillon
Bottom half of draw
No. 6 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 23 Tyler Reddick
Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Dover last year?
What makes Dover a unique NASCAR Cup race?
The Monster Mile at Dover is one of the few concrete tracks on the Cup Series calendar. Between that surface and the sharp banking – 24 degrees in all four corners as well as 9 degrees on the straights – Dover is one of the tougher challenges for drivers on the schedule. That banking on a 1-mile track over 400 laps means little break for the drivers.
Active drivers with most NASCAR Cup wins at Dover
While seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson holds the all-time record for Dover victories with 11, among active full-time drivers, no one has won more than three times at the Monster Mile:
Kyle Busch (3)
Denny Hamlin (2)
Chase Elliott (2)
Brad Keselowski (1)
Alex Bowman (1)
Kyle Larson (1)
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