End of a fiery stage 1 at Martinsville and the race leader Denny Hamlin could’ve fallen prey to a crash between Alex Bowman, Harrison Burton, and Austin Dillon. In the initial stage of this high-stakes race, Joe Gibbs Racing proved why it is the apex predator in the NASCAR park. With both its star drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin needing must-wins at Martinsville to fight at Phoenix, the 1st stage of the day slotted itself in their pockets.

The two icons killed it out of their competitors by dominating the top spots on the grid. Though the #19 driver of JGR started the race at P1, his championless teammate overtook him and maintained his position. Thankfully, a few hairs were between the crash that induced the first caution of the race and the #11 of Hamlin.

The #11 driver escapes a massive crash by a hair-line from the front of the grid

After struggling for a while with lapped cars, Denny Hamlin somehow managed to emerge unscathed after a caution-induced incident off-turn 2. Harrison Burton and Rick Hendrick’s driver Alex Bowman got in contact off the turn in the midst of traffic. The latter was eventually hit by Richard Childress’ grandson, Austin Dillon, and Bowman ended up spinning Burton. Spire Motorsport’s Corey LaJoie followed through from behind and hit the #48 Camaro of Bowman.

All the chaos unfolding in front of Hamlin, he managed to scrape through the momentary chaos. A brief battle followed with Ryan Blaney, but the #11 driver managed to hold his own. Getting out of the pit road after the caution, Hamlin and Truex Jr. maintained their lead but not for long. With Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney breathing down their necks, Truex Jr. fell prey and handed him his spot at P2 towards the end of stage 1. Hamlin, however, continued his dominance.

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Hamlin oozes experience and skill to win the first stage at Martinsville

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Hamlin continued to hold his lead out of the pit road and won the first stage after a brief battle with Ryan Blaney. Bowman and Burton, continue to race each other hard. The #11 driver picked up 10 points, thanks to his stage win. Truex Jr. finished at P3, but both their gains were offset by strong competition from Ryan Blaney.

Continuing into stage 2, Hamlin continued to lead. But with the dust settling, Blaney took the lead and won the stage, pocketing his share of 10 points. Truex Jr., on the other hand, has fallen down the pecking order and stands poised for further upset as he cruises outside the top 20 spots. The battle is just getting heated up between Team Penske’s lone Ford and Joe Gibbs Racing’s #11 Camry. Both the drivers have 19 spots at the end of stage 2. The heat in the air and the track are pushing limits as entertainment touches the roof. Hopefully, we will see further action in this crucial race!

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