Hamlin takes Stage 3 win in Coca-Cola 600
Denny Hamlin took advantage of a late-stage pit stop and claimed the Stage 3 victory in the Coca-Cola 600.
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
“We’ve actually been pretty good except for the first run,” Hamlin said. “We had the speeding penalty and then we kind of got into the wall there and got some damage and had to fix that. It’s taken us all race to get back to where we really belong.”
Kyle Larson slammed the wall with eight laps remaining in the stage to bring out the caution and bunch the field.
Hamlin was the first off pit road but Ricky Stenhouse Jr. elected not to it and inherited the race lead. On the restart on Lap 298, Stenhouse led the way followed by Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
Hamlin quickly bolted into the lead on the restart and held off Busch for the segment win and playoff point that comes with it.
Matt Kenseth was third, Martin Truex Jr. was fourth and Erik Jones was fifth and Toyota drivers swept the top-five positions.
During pit stops between Stages 2 and 3, Truex exited pit road followed by Johnson, Kenseth, Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray. The race returned to green on Lap 207.
Truex remained in command when a round of green-flag pit stops began on Lap 244.
Ty Dillon blew an engine in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 246 and Kevin Harvick – who had completed his stop a lap earlier – spun, likely in oil from Dillon. In the melee afterwards, Kasey Kahne and Trevor Bayne also got collected in the wreck.
During a round of pit stops under the caution, Truex was the first to exit pit road but Johnson, who had already pit, remained on the track and inherited the lead on Lap 250.
The race returned to green on Lap 253 and bolted back to the lead by the exit of Turn 2.
With 30 laps left in the segment, Truex maintained a healthy lead over Johnson, followed by Kyle Busch, Kenseth and Hamlin, who moved into the top-five for the first time in the race.
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