Denny Hamlin had everyone thinking he might not be firing on all cylinders for this race after his shoulder surgery last November. However, it looks like he’s still on the mend, just after three months. Additionally, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran had also hinted that the Clash at the Coliseum would be his warm-up act for the Daytona 500. As it turns out, his performance was outstanding as he turned the tables in the last few laps.

With storm clouds threatening to crash the party in Los Angeles, the race got pushed up a day, which, by the way, was also first hinted at by Denny Hamlin on his social media. And then, during an overtime restart, Denny Hamlin found his groove and left everyone in the dust, nailing the win at Saturday’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. Even Ryan Blaney tipped his hat to Hamlin’s game-changing move in his post-race chat.

Ryan Blaney infers Denny Hamlin got a bit of a head start on the restart

Denny Hamlin, behind the #11 car of a Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, won the pole position and was out in front for 58 of the 151 laps. However, teammate Ty Gibbs also led the majority of the race for a good 84 laps until a late caution flag waved, setting the stage for a nail-biting restart with just ten laps to go.

The No. 11 took the lead on that crucial restart and was on the brink of victory when Gibbs took a tumble on the final lap, catapulting the race into overtime. That’s when Denny Hamlin managed to outpace reigning and defending NASCAR champ Ryan Blaney, who had to use a provisional to join the 23-car lineup, clinching the win on the restart.

When quizzed about the incident post-race, Blaney conceded, “I mean, yeah, by a few feet.” He didn’t shy away from admitting, “I mean, he kicked my a** on the last restart, so, going to say jump. But I thought it was a few feet early, but yeah, it did make a difference,” either. Meanwhile, Hamlin’s over the moon with his victory, seeing it as a solid boost to kickstart his momentum.

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JGR’s favorite didn’t waste any time winning the first trophy for his collection this season

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While the chatter continues about whether Hamlin got a bit ahead of himself on the restart, the only thing on this JGR driver’s mind is the kick-start this win gives his championship run. “It’s just a great momentum boost. You know, I clean off all the trophies every January 1st in the entryway of the house and now we get to add another one pretty quick, so pretty happy about that,” Hamlin shared.

Read More: Denny Hamlin Claims Clash at the Coliseum Pole as JGR Teammate’s DNQ Stands Out as a Glaring Anomaly

The victory marks Hamlin’s fourth time taking the Clash, but his previous three triumphs were at Daytona International Speedway, including a win during his first year. Joe Gibbs Racing now boasts a record 12 wins in the race, with back-to-back victories following Martin Truex Jr‘s win last year. Well, it’s shaping up like Hamlin might just be the one to watch this season. What do you think?