A caution in the final stage set up an opportunity for drivers to pit for fresh tires with under 60 laps in regulation. Yet, it was a different strategy that paid off for Denny Hamlin at Dover Motor Speedway as he scored his 58th career win.
The Cup Series veteran stayed out on tires with about 10 laps on them after Chase Elliott led another group of drivers down pit road. This included Austin Dillon and Christopher Bell, who had run long hoping to catch the caution.
MORE: Cup results at Dover
Once the race restarted, Hamlin began pulling away from the majority of the field. The only driver who could keep up was Bell, who had fresher tires. However, Hamlin's teammate could not overcome the dirty air and the defensive driving before another rainstorm brought out the red flag with 14 laps remaining.
The battle between @dennyhamlin and @CBellRacing for the lead is heating up. pic.twitter.com/NSFFmQrWdg
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 20, 2025
At this point, NASCAR could have called the race and simply declared Hamlin the winner. This is not what happened. The storm was brief, so the track crews dried the 1-mile concrete surface and set up another late restart.
Once again, Hamlin and the No. 11 team faced another strategy decision. Do they give up the lead for a restart with about 10 laps to go, or do they pit for fresh tires? The No. 11 team opted to stay out along with seven other drivers.
Many others on the lead lap stopped for two fresh tires, including Chase Briscoe, who used two aggressive restarts to put himself on the front row for an overtime restart.
The No. 19 was close, but the No. 11 prevailed in #NASCAROvertime. 💪 pic.twitter.com/oacv4cDbHl
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 20, 2025
At this point, it appeared that the strategy would backfire for Hamlin and the No. 11 team. He had very old tires while Briscoe had mostly fresh right-side tires. Yet, this is not what happened.
Briscoe got beside his teammate on the restart, but he could not clear for the lead exiting Turn 2. Instead, it was Hamlin who cleared for the lead after taking the white flag and making some contact with the No. 19.
From that point on, all Hamlin had to do was complete one final lap. He crossed the finish line first to score his fourth win of the season. This is the most among Cup Series drivers.
Hamlin also moved to 58 Cup wins in his career. He is now only two wins behind Kevin Harvick, who sits 10th on the all-time race wins list.
"Winning here at Dover is super special to me," Hamlin told TNT Sports' Marty Snider after doing a massive burnout. "This is a place that I've not been very good at the first half of my career, and to have back-to-back here the last few years is amazing."