Denny Hamlin Inches Martin Truex Jr. for First Daytona 500 Victory!

On Sunday Denny Hamlin finally marked the Daytona 500 off his list of races to win in his career. After coming off his 3rd Sprint Unlimited Victory on Saturday Night, Denny was able to keep the momentum alive and finally win the Daytona 500. Hamlin inched Martin Truex Jr. by .011 seconds after making a wild move under his teammate coming to the Checker. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Kevin Harvick rounded out the Top 5 finishing spots. Crowd favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his car named Amelia crashed toward the end of the race ending his hopes for a 3rd Daytona 500 victory.

NASCAR News Source Driver of The Week

After 11 tries and many close calls Denny Hamlin finally landed in Gatorade Victory Lane with Coach Joe Gibbs. Denny Hamlin landed Toyota Racing their First Daytona 500 trophy ever. Denny Hamlin did everything he needed to do to land in Victory Lane at Daytona again for the second time of Speedweeks. Hamlin survived the demolition derby of the Sprint Unlimited about the same way he survived the Calm and Cool Daytona 500. That is until the last lap where all hell broke loose. We congratulate Denny Hamlin on not only winning the Daytona 500 but also becoming the first regular season Driver of The Week!

Daytona 500 Results

1 11 Denny Hamlin

2 78 Martin Truex Jr.

3 18 Kyle Busch

4 4 Kevin Harvick

5 19 Carl Edwards

6 22 Joey Logano

7 42 Kyle Larson

8 7 Regan Smith

9 3 Austin Dillon

10 41 Kurt Busch

11 31 Ryan Newman

12 43 Aric Almirola

13 5 Kasey Kahne

14 20 Matt Kenseth

15 59 Michael McDowell

16 48 Jimmie Johnson

17 1 Jamie McMurray

18 27 Paul Menard

19 21 Ryan Blaney

20 2 Brad Keselowski

21 47 AJ Allmendinger

22 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

23 38 Landon Cassill

24 44 Brian Scott

25 95 Ty Dillon

26 14 Brian Vickers

27 46 Michael Annett

28 6 Trevor Bayne

29 23 David Ragan

30 83 Michael Waltrip

31 32 Bobby Labonte

32 13 Casey Mears

33 15 Clint Bowyer

34 16 Greg Biffle

35 10 Danica Patrick

36 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

37 24 Chase Elliott

38 26 Robert Richardson

39 34 Chris Buescher

40 93 Matt DiBenedetto

2016 Chase For The Sprint Cup Standings

With Denny Hamlin winning he is the first driver to lock into the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chase for The Sprint Cup Championship. After some wrecks some drivers are sitting on the outside looking. Some Dark Horses are currently in the Chase Also. Below are the Top 16 as of Sunday.

1. Denny Hamlin - Win
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Kyle Busch
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Carl Edwards
6. Joey Logano
7. Kyle Larson
8. Regan Smith
9. Austin Dillon 
10. Kurt Busch
11. Ryan Newman
12. Aric Almirola
13. Kasey Kahne 
14. Matt Kenseth
15. Michael McDowell
16. Jimmie Johnson

Next Weekend's Action!

Next Sunday NASCAR returns to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500 where another driver could clinch his or her spot in the Chase! NASCAR heats up when it heads to the Oldest Surface in NASCAR and look for speeds to be fast around one of the Fastest tracks in NASCAR! Jimmie Johnson is the defending champion! Could 6 time make his run for 7 starting at Atlanta as it has in so many seasons of the past!