Denny Hamlin Triumphs Amid Shock Exits: 5 Things You Missed at Bristol Motor Speedway

Earlier at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the race concluded with a variety of revelations. At the end of the 500-lap race, Denny Hamlin won the race and locked his berth in the Round of 12. Behind him on the track were Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chris Buescher and Ty Gibbs. Since this race was the last one before the opening Playoff round, there were a number of consequences.

The 12 drivers going through to the next round have been confirmed. This means that four drivers were forced to walk away disappointed. Those drivers were Michael McDowell and Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Meanwhile, the big scalps were Kevin Harvick and defending champion Joey Logano. With that said, there were some things that flew under the radar at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Let’s take a detailed look.

1. Austin Cindric goes airborne after colliding with AJ Allmendinger

During the race, race leader Christopher Bell and teammate Denny Hamlin may have triggered an incident. This was while they were putting AJ Allmendinger on a lap down. Bell bumped the #16 driver in the rear before overtaking him, and then Hamlin followed him past the Kaulig Racing driver.

Unfortunately for Allmendinger, he was a little off-line and under steered into the outside wall. When he tried to recover, he was right in the path of Austin Cindric and the two drivers collided. The impact was so hard that Cindric’s car briefly went airborne, but somehow both continued racing.

2. Joe Gibbs Racing drivers run riot at Bristol Motor Speedway

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While all that was going on, Bell enjoyed a great first stage and went on to win it. At the end of the first stage, teammates Martin Truex Jr and Ty Gibbs were at the tail of the Top 10. Meanwhile, in the second stage, Bell clinched victory again, flanked by Gibbs and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson.

Denny Hamlin was fourth fastest, while Truex Jr was just outside the Top 10. In the end, though, it was Hamlin who walked away with the overall race win, cementing a good day for Joe Gibbs Racing.

3. Kyle Larson versus Christopher Bell

During the second stage, Larson attempted a charge for HMS. However, Bell was not about to give up without a fight. The 2021 Cup Series champion briefly took the race lead, but the #20 driver hunted him down.

It also did not help Larson’s case that the backmarkers were a bit uncooperative. That allowed Christopher Bell to catch up and re-take the race lead at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

4. Corey LaJoie triggers The Big One and costs Joey Logano dearly

This was an incident that nearly mirrored the 2003 crash involving Kyle Petty and Ward Burton. Like Burton, Corey LaJoie spun while trying to overtake the #43 car of Erik Jones. The Spire Motorsports #7 car slid down the back straight and tapped the wall before sliding back onto the track.

His car then collided with the unsuspecting Joey Logano, Ty Dillon, Justin Haley and Ryan Newman. This impact basically destroyed Logano’s chances of defending his Cup Series crown and ensuring elimination from the Playoffs.

5. Denny Hamlin proving that he is hungry for his maiden Cup title

With this triumph at the Bristol Motor Speedway, Hamlin has taken his Cup tally to 51 race wins.

More importantly, it locks him into the Round of 12 and another chance to win a Cup Series title. In all of his 18 years in the Cup Series, Denny Hamlin has never won a Cup Series title.

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He has always come so close, yet so far, and now he will be more motivated than ever. This race marks Hamlin’s third win, and he will be eager to carry the momentum into the next race and hopefully the title.

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