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87-435: Denny Hamlin is the defending race winner. In 2008, Bristol Motor Speedway President & General Manager Jeff Byrd requested that NASCAR move the spring race to a later Spring date, to avoid the problems with rain, snow, and sleet that hit the area in late winter and early spring. This was not carried out until 2015. In 2015, the race moved from mid-March to April. Though every race besides 2016 has had some sort of rain alter

174-451: A driver development contract with Joe Gibbs Racing . In 2004, Hamlin competed in five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races with EJP Racing, achieving a tenth-place finish in his debut at IRP . He then made his first ARCA RE/MAX Series start at Talladega Superspeedway , finishing third in the No. 10 Pontiac for Fast Track Racing , owned by Andy Hillenburg . Hamlin's final race of the year

261-463: A sinus infection that affected his vision just hours before the race. A half-hour before the green flag, Joe Gibbs Racing replaced him with Sam Hornish Jr. , who drove Hamlin's car to a 17th-place finish. A few days later, it was revealed that the infection was caused by a piece of metal lodged in Hamlin's eye. At Talladega , Hamlin won the race after the caution flag waved during the final lap. At

348-419: A big lead. The dynamic of the race changed quickly with only a few laps to go when Rick Gdovic went for a spin on the backstretch bringing out the final caution of the race. There were less than 10 laps to which meant the cars lined up in single file for the restart instead of the double file restarts used in the first 190 laps. DeBolt attempted to close in on Falk on the restart but Falk got a better restart and

435-599: A blown tire with 12 laps to go. During the Sonoma race , he led Tony Stewart late but misjudged his entry into the final corner, which nearly resulted in contact with Stewart, causing him to lose the lead and the race. Amid accusations that he intentionally let Stewart win in his final season, Hamlin clarified that it was a mistake on his part. However, he rebounded in the season's other road race at Watkins Glen , managing his fuel effectively—helped by two red flags and eight cautions—to secure his first road course win. He secured

522-534: A caution came out, and Darian Grubb , his crew chief, opted not to stop for fresh tires and fuel, a decision that proved costly. Hamlin finished the race in seventh place and ended up third in the championship standings. In 2015, Hamlin began the season by starting at the rear of the field in the Budweiser Duels due to a penalty received during Daytona 500 qualifying. In the Daytona 500 , he came close to winning for

609-469: A caution period. Some fans speculated that NASCAR should have penalized Hamlin for exiting his car before safety workers arrived, a rule instituted after the tragic incident involving Tony Stewart and Kevin Ward Jr. However, NASCAR decided against penalizing Hamlin, stating that safety workers had instructed him to exit the car via radio and allowed him to throw the device. Harvick later apologized for causing

696-449: A couple of times early in the afternoon. However, the skies eventually cleared before qualifying began, which saw 23 entrants set times. Former Hampton Heat winner Nick Smith had returned with yet another car owner to attempt the race, but suffered a mechanical failure on his first qualifying lap and did not race. Paul DeBolt set the fastest time of 16.140 seconds, ahead of C.E. Falk, Greg Edwards, Stacy Puryear, and Woody Howard who filled out

783-498: A difficult-handling car and finished 12th, which cost him the points lead. Jimmie Johnson, who finished 2nd, took an 8-point advantage. The next week at California, Hamlin managed a top-10 finish but continued to lose ground to Johnson’s No. 48 team. At Charlotte Motor Speedway , Denny Hamlin led a lap—his first lead in the Chase—finishing 4th, one spot behind points leader Jimmie Johnson, which cost him 5 points. However, he achieved

870-549: A dozen laps late in the race before being overtaken by Jimmie Johnson in the final stage, ultimately finishing 10th. At his home track in Richmond , another short track, he led 50 laps and made a brilliant move past Brad Keselowski from 2nd place on the sixth restart, earning a 3rd-place finish along with valuable stage points from both stages. Hamlin's exceptional skills on restrictor-plate tracks were evident at Talladega . He used strategic pit stops to secure his first stage win of

957-403: A poor pit stop and a subsequent bad restart dropped Hamlin to 13th place. He managed to rebound to 3rd with 20 laps to go, but his chances of winning were dashed when he was penalized for an uncontrolled tire during a pit stop, forcing him to the tail end of the longest line. He restarted in 29th and ultimately finished the race in 28th place. At Martinsville , Hamlin consistently stayed within

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1044-601: A significant triumph at Martinsville Speedway , securing his series-leading seventh victory of the season. This victory marked Hamlin's third consecutive win at Martinsville and his fourth overall at the historic track, narrowing the points gap to just 6 behind Jimmie Johnson , who finished 5th. Next up was the Amp Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway . Denny Hamlin started in 17th place and worked his way up to finish 9th, two spots behind points leader Jimmie Johnson . This result put Hamlin 8 points further behind in

1131-768: A sixth-place finish in Las Vegas , followed by another top-10 result in Phoenix . At the STP 500 in Martinsville , a track where he is a five-time winner, he placed 2nd in Stage 1 but was set back by poor pit strategy and a subsequent wreck, finishing the race in 30th. Hamlin's Toyota improved significantly after a mediocre performance at Texas . Combining the newfound speed of his JGR car with his exceptional short-track talent, he secured two 8th-place finishes in stages 1 and 2 at Bristol . He even led

1218-469: A strong contender throughout his career. With the exception of the 2013 season, Hamlin has competed in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs in every full-time season (18 seasons as of 2024). In 2013, a collision with Joey Logano severely damaged his lower back, sidelining him for a significant portion of the early season. Hamlin's rookie season in 2006 was particularly impressive, as he finished third in

1305-430: A third win in the final race of the regular season at Richmond , starting from the pole and holding off Truex and Kyle Larson for the victory. However, his championship hopes were affected when his engine failed with 26 laps remaining at Charlotte , ultimately resulting in a sixth-place finish in the points standings. In 2017, Hamlin had a challenging start to the season, which featured significant changes, including

1392-476: A torn ligament in his left knee. Despite the setback, Hamlin returned to racing on April 19, 2010, just three weeks after the procedure. Starting from 28th at Texas , he worked his way up through the field and, with 13 laps remaining, restarted in 2nd place. Hamlin passed Jeff Burton on the outside and held off Jimmie Johnson to secure his 10th career win and his second victory in three races. Less than three weeks later, on May 8, Hamlin visited Victory Lane for

1479-413: A unique place in the history of NASCAR. It was the final Grand National race before the series title was changed to Winston Cup . Bobby Allison won the race, while Bobby Isaac won the championship. There were 14 NASCAR Busch Series events held at the track between 1982 and 1988. The track had been paved with asphalt since the last Grand National race was held there in 1970. Two drivers dominated

1566-458: A wave of momentum as the defending race winner and from winning the Bailey's 200 late model race at South Boston Speedway the week before. Smith led the race until lap 22 when Falk III took the lead and held it through the halfway break. Smith's race ended on lap 134 when he and Danny Edwards Jr. made contact going into turn one while racing for third. Edwards Jr. continued on, but Smith spun collecting

1653-524: Is a race track located in Hampton, Virginia , United States. Langley Speedway is a paved short track measuring 4/10 mile in length. It is one of the flattest tracks in the region with only six degrees of banking in the corners and two degrees of banking on the straights. In November 1970, it became the site of the last NASCAR Grand National Series race before the series was renamed the Winston Cup. The track

1740-502: Is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series , driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE for Joe Gibbs Racing . He also co-owns and operates 23XI Racing with basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan . As a driver, Hamlin has achieved a total of 54 NASCAR Cup Series victories. His notable wins include the Coca-Cola 600 in 2022 ,

1827-683: Is located in front of NASA 's Langley Research Center on Commander Shepard Boulevard. The track is NASCAR sanctioned and participates in the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series , which determines a national champion for the NASCAR sanctioned local tracks. The track hosts 12 divisions that alternate running during their Saturday night program: Late models, Modifieds, Virginia Racers, legends cars, Super Streets, Enduros, Grand Stocks, Super Trucks, UCARS, Pro Six, Bandoleros, and HRKC Pro Winged Champ Karts. Pre race ceremonies for

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1914-517: The 2008 Crown Royal Presents the Dan Lowry 400 , showcasing one of the most dominant performances by a driver since 2000, but ultimately finished 24th after cutting a tire. Additionally, he won four races in the Nationwide Series , driving both the No. 18 and No. 20 cars for Gibbs, as well as the No. 32 Dollar General / Hass Avocados -sponsored car for Braun Racing . In 2009, He continued driving

2001-446: The Aaron's 499 , telling reporters that, since he wasn’t ready to run a full race, he planned to switch with Brian Vickers during the first caution and pit stop using a special exit on the car’s roof. As planned, Hamlin swapped with Vickers on lap 23 during a caution. According to NASCAR rules, Hamlin would still receive credit for the results since he started the race. Unfortunately, Vickers

2088-521: The Brickyard 400 , Hamlin finished third, but his No. 11 car failed post-race inspection. NASCAR impounded the vehicle for further investigation. Two days later, NASCAR suspended crew chief Darian Grubb and car chief Wesley Sherrill for six races. They fined Grubb $ 125,000, docked Hamlin 75 driver points, and Joe Gibbs Racing 75 owner points. Additionally, members of the No. 11 team were placed on probation until December 31, 2014. Initially, Joe Gibbs and

2175-500: The Busch Series . In his inaugural restrictor-plate race as a Nextel Cup driver, he won the 70-lap Budweiser Shootout , defeating all the previous year's pole winners and becoming the first Rookie of the Year candidate to win the event. Hamlin secured his first career Busch Series victory at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on March 5. On June 11, 2006, he earned his first Cup Series win at

2262-405: The Daytona 500 , where he started 35th, led 33 laps, and finished 14th. He showed improvement the following week with a third-place finish at Phoenix , followed by a 15th-place result in Las Vegas . At Bristol , despite leading the most laps, he ran out of fuel. Controversy arose when Hamlin spun his former teammate, Joey Logano , during a battle for position, leading to a heated exchange between

2349-802: The Entertainment Industry Foundation . The 2020 race was dubbed the Food City presents the Supermarket Heroes 500 to honor grocery store workers during the COVID-19 pandemic . In 2021, the race shifted to a dirt surface version of the track and was renamed the Food City Dirt Race. The race's stage lengths were initially set at 75 each for the first two segments followed by 100 in the final stage, but stages 1–2 were later adjusted to be 100 laps apiece following Friday practices. In 2022,

2436-768: The Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire . However, he finished 43rd in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona after getting involved in an early wreck, marking the first 43rd-place finish of his career. Hamlin clinched a spot in the Chase for the Cup, earning the sixth seed with a 50-point deficit to the leader, but ultimately finished 12th overall in the final standings. In the Nationwide Series, Hamlin achieved three victories, winning races at Darlington , Michigan , and Dover while driving

2523-519: The NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Rule Book and high ranking NASCAR Whelen All American Series officials were brought in to ensure all cars strictly fit the technical regulations. The race was separated into two halves; the first 100 laps are divided from the second 100 laps by a 10-minute break which allowed teams to put more fuel in the car, make setup changes, and rotate the tires. However, they are not allowed to change tires during

2610-564: The Nextel Cup Series , driving the No. 11 FedEx -sponsored Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway . He was announced as the full-time driver for the No. 11 car for the 2006 season after Jason Leffler was released. In his seven Cup starts that year, he secured three Top 10 finishes and one pole position at Phoenix . In 2006 , Hamlin completed his first full season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series while also competing full-time in

2697-572: The Pocono 500 , where he also achieved his second career pole. Hamlin followed this with a second win on July 23 in the Pennsylvania 500 , also at Pocono Raceway , making him only the second rookie in Nextel Cup history to sweep both races at a track in the same season (the first being Jimmie Johnson at Dover Downs International Speedway in 2002), with both victories coming from pole position . Hamlin won

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2784-515: The Raybestos Rookie of the Year award and finished third in the final Cup standings, achieving the highest points finish for a rookie in the modern era of NASCAR, and the best since James Hylton in 1966 . Notably, he became the first rookie to qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, finishing third in points. in 2007, Hamlin began the 2007 Cup season with a 28th-place finish in the Daytona 500 . He achieved his third career Cup victory at

2871-549: The Southern 500 in 2010 , 2017 , and 2021 , and the Daytona 500 in 2016 , 2019 , and 2020 . He is also the fourth driver in history to win the Daytona 500 in back-to-back seasons, joining the ranks of Richard Petty , Cale Yarborough , and Sterling Marlin . Hamlin holds the record for the most wins in the NASCAR Cup Series without winning a championship. Despite not securing the elusive title, he has consistently been

2958-570: The Sprint All-Star Race by beating Brad Keselowski off pit road during the final stops. This win marked Hamlin's first All-Star victory, as well as the inaugural All-Star win for both Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota . After qualifying for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup , Denny Hamlin won the opening race at Chicagoland Speedway , securing his spot in the second round. However, during

3045-510: The Sprint Unlimited , ultimately securing victory in the race. He followed this success by winning the second Budweiser Duel . In the Daytona 500 , Hamlin started in third place and led for 16 laps, emerging as a fan favorite to win and potentially sweep all three Sprint Cup events during Speedweeks . However, he was unable to overtake Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final two laps and finished in second place. At Auto Club , Hamlin developed

3132-478: The Sprint Unlimited . In the Daytona 500 , he passed his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth for the lead on the final lap. Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. raced side by side for the win as they crossed the start-finish line, with Hamlin—who led a race-high 95 laps—prevailing by just 0.011 seconds over Truex. This marked the closest finish in Daytona 500 history and gave team owner Joe Gibbs his first victory in

3219-461: The 10th position in the field. This victory propelled him from 12th in the standings—where he would have been at risk of being replaced in the Chase by Jeff Gordon —to 9th, guaranteeing him a spot in the Chase. At the end of the season, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Mike Ford would not return as Hamlin's crew chief for the 2012 season. In 2012, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Darian Grubb would replace Mike Ford as Hamlin's crew chief for

3306-461: The 27 car of Greg Edwards. Falk held the lead until lap 183 when Woody Howard took the lead and held it to the checkered flag. Howard netted the $ 10,000 winner's check in the number 21 car owned by James Long, putting the same car owner in victory lane as the year before, but with a different driver. 2010: Run on July 10, 2010, the 2010 edition of Langley Speedway's richest race began under ominous conditions with short lived showers stopping practice

3393-523: The 38th position and led 70 laps. This capped off his year with an impressive 5th place finish in the overall standings, achieving 4 wins, 15 top-5 finishes, and 20 top-10 finishes. In 2010, Hamlin entered the season with high expectations, and many saw him as a strong contender to unseat Jimmie Johnson as the Sprint Cup Champion. However, on January 22, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee while playing basketball . Despite

3480-679: The Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings, marking one of the most remarkable rookie campaigns in modern NASCAR history. Since 2023, Hamlin has hosted a weekly podcast on Dirty Mo Media titled Actions Detrimental . In the podcast, he shares his extensive knowledge of both the business and racing aspects of the sport alongside his co-host, Jared Allen. Hamlin was born in Tampa, Florida , and spent most of his childhood in Chesterfield Court House, Virginia . He began his racing career at

3567-469: The No. 11 car in The Sprint Cup Series and also shared the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs Racing in the Nationwide Series . On August 3, 2009, Hamlin secured his fifth career Cup win at Pocono . Before the final restart, he confidently declared, "I'm going to win this race." True to his word, he surged from sixth to first, breaking a 50-race winless streak. This victory marked his third at Pocono and

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3654-444: The No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevy . He also secured a victory at Milwaukee , although Aric Almirola started the race and drove for 60 laps before handing the car over to Hamlin. As a result, Almirola received the points, purse, and credit for the win. In 2008, Hamlin had a season similar to the previous year, finishing eighth in points and winning early in the season at Martinsville . At Richmond , He led 381 out of 410 laps in

3741-715: The age of 7 in 1988, racing go-karts. By 1997, at 15, he had won the WKA Manufacturers Cup. At 16, he started racing mini stocks, and in his first stock car race at Langley Speedway , he not only secured the pole position but also won the race. Hamlin progressed to the Grand Stock division in 1998 and moved on to Late Model Stock Cars in 2000. In 2002, he achieved ten Late Model victories, surpassing that with 25 wins and 30 poles out of 36 races in 2003. In 2004, while competing full-time in Late Model Stock Cars , he signed

3828-456: The break. Contrary to typical late model races at Langley, they do count caution laps during this race. 2008: Run on July 12, 2008, the inaugural running of the race featured a field of 25 cars with drivers from Virginia and North Carolina. Danny Edwards Jr. won the pole for the event during the Friday qualifying session with a 16.049-second lap. C.E. Falk III and Edwards Jr. raced for the lead in

3915-725: The car but immediately collapsed on the track. He was airlifted to the hospital as a precaution. While in the hospital, Hamlin interpreted Logano's post-race remarks about their battle as a sign that Logano held a grudge and had retaliated against him. The following day, it was announced that Hamlin had suffered a severe L1 Vertebral compression fracture , or collapsed vertebra . Dr. Petty, Hamlin's JGR physician, stated on Tuesday that Hamlin’s back would heal in six weeks, requiring time off from racing. To fill in for Hamlin, two part-time drivers from Michael Waltrip Racing stepped up: Mark Martin drove at Martinsville , and Brian Vickers covered four additional races. He returned at Talladega for

4002-501: The coveted 10th place, as the series headed to his favorite track, Pocono. A win there would have tied him for the most all-time victories at the track. However, after a disappointing 19th-place finish, he moved on to Michigan, where he had previously secured a 1st and 2nd place finish in 2010. Before the first practice at Michigan, NASCAR confiscated unapproved Sump from the three JGR teams, including Hamlin's. After showing signs of mediocrity during practices and qualifying, Hamlin secured

4089-412: The crash on Twitter, while Hamlin indicated that his acceptance of the apology would depend on Harvick's future conduct on the track. Despite the shortcomings of him and his team during the regular season, Hamlin managed to have a consistent Chase, securing a spot among the final four title contenders for the final round . With twenty laps to go, he was leading both the race and the championship. However,

4176-411: The early stages of the race, but Edwards took control of the race and led to the halfway mark. There were a number of early incidents that led to a few drivers dropping out before the halfway point, but the second half ran green most of the way. Midway through the second half Nick Smith started to show his speed and passed Edwards Jr. for the lead; he extended that to a dominating lead in the late stages of

4263-508: The event since 1993 . However, at Martinsville , Hamlin was running well until he wrecked after hitting the curb and slamming into the wall, finishing 39th. He also experienced further wrecks at Kansas and Dover . Hamlin competed in both the Cup and Xfinity races during the Coca-Cola 600 weekend, winning the Xfinity race and finishing fourth in the main Cup event. At Michigan , he suffered

4350-475: The field to finish 5th, earning valuable points in the standings. Hamlin secured a solid 8th-place finish at a crash-filled Dover race , despite being penalized for an uncontrolled tire in Stage 1. He followed up with a strong performance at Pocono , running well throughout but dropping back late to finish 12th. At Michigan , Hamlin battled intensely with Kyle Larson on the final restart and finished 4th. Langley Speedway (Virginia) Langley Speedway

4437-406: The final two laps. On the white flag lap, Hamlin edged ahead entering Turn 3, but Logano drifted up the track, making contact with Hamlin. As Hamlin tried to regain control, he clipped Logano, sending Logano into the outside wall. Hamlin then crashed head-on into an inside retaining wall, while their incident allowed Hamlin's teammate, Kyle Busch, to take the win. After the crash, Hamlin climbed out of

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4524-512: The finish line by just 0.3 seconds (one car length), marking his fifth victory at Martinsville, where he led a total of 91 laps. Hamlin, who had a history of feuding with Keselowski during the 2014 Bank of America 500 , praised him for not wrecking him to win the race. During the Bristol spring race , Hamlin was replaced by Erik Jones after 22 laps due to neck spasms . in May, Hamlin secured victory in

4611-661: The first driver of the year to earn back-to-back wins, defeating Truex again at the AdvoCare 500 in Atlanta . Two weeks later, he dominated the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway , winning from a 32nd-place start. In 2013, Hamlin's season began on a rough note with crashes in both the Sprint Unlimited and the Budweiser Duel . The accident in the Duel forced him to use a backup car for

4698-512: The first eight races, with his only top-10 finish being a seventh place at Las Vegas. However, he turned things around at Richmond, where he won both his charity event and the Nationwide race, finishing second to teammate Kyle Busch . After finishing outside the top 10 at Dover, he rebounded with top finishes of 10th and 3rd at Charlotte and Kansas, respectively. After his third-place finish at Kansas, he climbed to 11th in points, just 1 point shy of

4785-447: The following season, both Hamlin and Logano declared that their feud was over. Despite finishing 23rd in the points standings, Hamlin had a noteworthy season, highlighted by his victory in the season finale at Homestead . He secured the win after a fierce battle with Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the final 30 laps. In 2014, Hamlin began the season on a high note by winning the pole position and leading all three segments of

4872-440: The injury, Hamlin postponed surgery until after the season to focus on competing. On March 27, he announced that he would undergo knee surgery the following Monday to prevent further damage. On March 29, 2010, Hamlin won the rain-postponed race at Martinsville Speedway in dramatic fashion, finishing ahead of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano and Jeff Gordon . Just two days later, he underwent knee surgery to repair

4959-436: The introduction of stage racing . He secured an 8th-place finish in Stage 1 of the Daytona 500 but was involved in a major crash at the end of Stage 2 , triggered by a tire blowout on Kyle Busch's No. 18 Toyota Camry , ultimately finishing 17th. The difficulties continued with a disappointing race in Atlanta , where mechanical failures forced him to retire, resulting in a 38th-place classification. Hamlin rebounded with

5046-458: The lead through lap 100 and claimed a $ 100 bonus for being the half way leader. During the break Puryear was interviewed about the on track contact with Wertz which revealed a bit of a pay back may have been in order. The race resumed with all drivers in the same positions they were in at lap 100 and immediately was back under the caution flag as a pile up in turn one damaged the cars of Dean Shiflett and Eddie Johnson, and forced Duane Shreeves out of

5133-458: The most laps and earning his 12th career win, his fourth of the season, and his fourth at Pocono. The following week, Hamlin set a career-high with his fifth win of the season, triumphing at Michigan after starting 7th. Later in the 2010 season, Hamlin finished 43rd in the Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta , dropping five positions in the Chase standings to 10th overall. Despite the setback,

5220-410: The next round at Talladega , his car roof hatch on Denny Hamlin's car came loose on lap 84 and he was forced to make an unscheduled stop to tape down the hatch. His car was involved in " The Big One ," resulting in a crash and fire. This incident ultimately eliminated him from the Chase due to insufficient points to advance. In 2016, With new crew chief Mike Wheeler replacing Dave Rogers , Hamlin won

5307-489: The night of July 11, 2020. Balluzzo was the winningest driver in the history of the tracks modified division, having amassed 11 Modified championships at the speedway. In 1980, one spectator was killed while watching a race. There were nine NASCAR Grand National events at Langley from 1964 to 1970. The track surface was dirt at the time. David Pearson has the most Grand National victories at Langley with three. The November 1970 season ending Tidewater 300 made its way into

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5394-418: The points standings, 150 points behind 20th place. Without any wins, his chances of securing a Wildcard bid for the Chase were effectively eliminated. At Daytona , Hamlin started 24th and led 20 laps before being involved in a wreck with Juan Pablo Montoya and Martin Truex Jr. Although he remained on the track a lap down and received the free pass after the next caution, disaster struck on lap 148 when he hit

5481-550: The previous record of 193.708 miles per hour (311.743 km/h) set by Greg Biffle. During the race, he led six laps and ultimately finished fourth. At Dover , Hamlin started from the pole for the second consecutive week and led 41 laps before cutting a tire on lap 378, which caused him to crash and finish 34th. At Pocono , he started in 17th place and showed improvement by finishing eighth. Hamlin struggled at Michigan , Sonoma , and Kentucky , finishing 30th, 23rd, and 35th, respectively. These poor results left him in 25th place in

5568-486: The race became a night race, and was run on Easter Sunday. Part of the reason it was moved from daylight to nighttime is because of visibility issues that plagued the event in 2021 with sunlight reflecting off the dirt. On September 15, 2023, Bristol announced that the Food City 500 would return to the concrete oval, beginning in 2024. Denny Hamlin James Dennis Alan Hamlin (born November 18, 1980)

5655-585: The race including moving the race to Monday in 2017 and 2018. In 2011, title sponsor Food City announced it would honor former Speedway President and General Manager Jeff Byrd, who died in October 2010, by renaming the 2011 Spring race the Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City. In 2015, the race was renamed the Food City 500 In Support Of Steve Byrnes And Stand Up To Cancer to support NASCAR on Fox broadcaster Steve Byrnes in his battle with cancer, in association with

5742-401: The race. Driving James Long's number 21 car, Nick Smith picked up the $ 15,000 check for winning the event. 2009: Run on July 11, 2009, the 2009 race saw more cars than the previous year at 27. Nick Smith scored the pole for the race earlier in the day with a 16.346-second lap, merely 0.005 seconds ahead of the second-place car of C.E. Falk III. Smith, now driving for Dave Atkinson, was riding

5829-470: The race. Once resuming the race it was not long before the caution came out again when Puryear and Wertz bumped again, resulting in Wertz spinning in turn four. Wertz drove up alongside Puryear under caution to voice his displeasure, but nothing more occurred between the two during the remainder of the race. The race continued on another long green flag run during which Falk began to show his dominance, pulling out to

5916-422: The regular Saturday night events begin at approximately 7:00 PM with the first race of the night beginning about 15 minutes later. Langley also hosts Hampton Roads Kart Club races on most Sundays and some Fridays during the season, Wacky Wednesday which allows anyone with a helmet and a street legal car to participate in the time attack, burnout competition, and one on one drag races on most Wednesday nights during

6003-721: The season, the Langley Drift Club which helped bring drifting to the Hampton Roads’ area, and starting in 2023 Old-Dominion Region-SCCA Autocross events. Overview: The Hampton Heat 200 is a 200-lap race for the Crossroads Fuel Late Model Stock Car Division with a large purse provided by the City of Hampton, Virginia and is the second race in the Virginia Triple Crown. The race was run according to

6090-472: The season. Grubb had previously served as Tony Stewart's crew chief, guiding Stewart to his third Sprint Cup title in 2011 . Hamlin earned his first win of the year in the second race at Phoenix . On April 22, 2012, he secured his second victory at Kansas , outlasting Martin Truex Jr. He claimed his third win at Bristol on August 26 in the Irwin Tools Night Race . A week later, Hamlin became

6177-436: The second consecutive year, finishing 4th and showcasing one of the best cars throughout Speedweeks . However, at Atlanta , Hamlin finished 38th after being involved in a wreck with 42 laps remaining. He rebounded at Las Vegas , finishing 5th, but struggled at Phoenix , where he ended up in 24th place. At California , Hamlin had one of the best cars on the track, leading 56 laps, second only to Kurt Busch's 61 laps. However,

6264-475: The standings, totaling 14 points. He then won the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway , taking the lead in the standings by 33 points over Johnson with two races remaining. At Phoenix , Hamlin started 14th but finished 12th. After the race, he was furious and threw a water bottle in frustration because he had to pit with 14 laps to go due to a fuel shortage. With one race left, Hamlin led Johnson by 15 points and

6351-462: The team considered appealing the penalties but later decided against it. In response to the penalties, Hamlin stated, "We'll just simply move forward and not let this affect our performances." At Bristol, Hamlin seemed poised to win, leading many laps until he crashed after contact with Kevin Harvick while vying for the lead. In frustration, Hamlin angrily threw his HANS device at Harvick's car during

6438-580: The third time in 2010 at Darlington Raceway . He had a dominant weekend, winning both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events. Hamlin became the first driver to sweep both races at Darlington since Mark Martin in 1993. Hamlin began in 8th position at Saturday night's Showtime Southern 500 , leading 108 laps to secure the victory. A few races later, he dominated the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Presented by Target at Pocono Raceway , leading

6525-562: The top 10 drivers in the Chase were locked in after Atlanta, ensuring Hamlin's spot in the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup. In the first Chase race , Carl Edwards ' driver error caused Hamlin to spin with 85 laps remaining. As several cars ahead ran out of fuel, Hamlin narrowly lost to Clint Bowyer . In the AAA 400 at Dover , Hamlin finished 9th, retaining the points lead by 35 over Jimmie Johnson . The following week at Kansas , Hamlin struggled with

6612-439: The top five. The first half of the race featured some early excitement with Falk shoving DeBolt out of the way on lap 13 to take the lead, as well as a heated battle between Stacy Puryear and Mark Wertz that had a lot of bumping and close calls. The first half of the race went caution free until lap 100 when the caution was displayed for the half way break which allowed teams to rotate tires, add fuel, and make adjustments. Falk held

6699-420: The top ten throughout the race. However, he was penalized for an uncontrolled tire late in the race, forcing him to the back of the field in 31st place. Despite this setback, he made an impressive comeback, re-entering the top ten just 50 laps later. Following a strong restart with less than 30 laps remaining, Hamlin secured his victory after fending off a challenge from rival Brad Keselowski. He edged Keselowski at

6786-399: The tri-oval wall head-on, and his car was subsequently struck by A. J. Allmendinger , causing it to go airborne. He crashed at Pocono on Lap 15 after losing control of his car in the third turn, jeopardizing his chances of making the Chase for the first time in his career. Although he had participated in seven races in 2005 , his first appearance was during a Chase race. At Michigan , he

6873-409: The two in the garage after the race. At Fontana , Hamlin secured his first pole of the season. On the final restart, he was in 12th place but made an impressive charge, reaching third with 12 laps remaining. He soon passed both Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch to contend for the lead alongside Joey Logano . The rivalry between Hamlin and Logano intensified as they battled side by side for the victory in

6960-454: The year in Stage 2 and led more laps than any other driver. Despite his strong performance, he fell back late in the race and missed the victory. At the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, he claimed his second stage win in Stage 3, leading the final 10 laps of that segment. Although a poor restart from the front dropped him to 10th at the beginning of the final stage, Hamlin worked his way back through

7047-519: Was 46 points ahead of Kevin Harvick. However, in the Final race , he lost the lead to Johnson after spinning out and ultimately finished 14th, ending up 39 points behind Johnson. In 2011, Denny Hamlin nearly won the Budweiser Shootout, but the victory was denied when Kurt Busch passed him after Hamlin crossed the yellow line in turn four while attempting to overtake Ryan Newman . Hamlin struggled in

7134-520: Was at Darlington Raceway , where he made his Busch Series debut. Starting twenty-seventh due to a rainout, he finished eighth in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Driven Performance Oil Chevrolet . In 2005, Hamlin ran the full 2005 season in the Busch Series after replacing Mike Bliss in the No. 20 Rockwell Automation -sponsored Chevrolet . As a rookie, he finished fifth in the final championship points standings, achieving 11 Top 10 finishes and earning $ 1,064,110 ($ 1,660,077 Today) Hamlin also made his debut in

7221-493: Was caught in a 14-car wreck on lap 43, leaving the car with a 34th-place finish. At Darlington , Hamlin returned to racing for the first time since his injury, qualifying sixth. In the closing laps, he held off Jeff Gordon to secure a second-place finish behind teammate Matt Kenseth . At the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte , Hamlin earned the pole position with a record speed of 195.624 miles per hour (314.826 km/h), surpassing

7308-534: Was especially emotional, as it came just days after the passing of his grandmother, Thelma Clark. Hamlin dominated once again at Richmond , finally securing a win at his home track. On October 25, 2009, he held off Jimmie Johnson to win the TUMS Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway . He concluded the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season with a victory at the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway starting from

7395-418: Was killed in an INEX Legends car race at the track. Three days prior he had signed an agreement to purchase the track from owner Wayne Wyatt. Lemonds' wife Sandy honored the agreement and followed through with purchasing the track. She later renamed victory lane to "Dale Lemonds Victory Lane" in honor of her deceased husband. 64-year-old veteran driver Shawn Balluzzo died in a crash at Langley Speedway on Turn 2

7482-425: Was not strongly challenged in the final sprint to the checkers. Falk picked up the $ 10,000 winner's check. Although NASCAR's premier division has not raced at the track since 1970 it continues to play an integral part in the NASCAR family with several young drivers cutting their teeth on this track every year in the many late model events. Some of the better known graduates include: On August 28, 2004 Dale Lemonds

7569-441: Was officially eliminated from the Chase, even if he won the next four races, due to being too far behind in the points. At Richmond , Hamlin received an apology text from Logano regarding their incident at Auto Club , but he chose not to respond. In a later interview, Hamlin expressed his belief that Logano's message was more about wanting Hamlin to avoid interfering with his title hopes rather than genuine remorse. Nevertheless, by

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