Denny Hamlin now has two wins in NASCAR’s All-Star Race, taking victory in a chaotic race at Dover’s ‘Monster Mile.’ He will be awarded the $1 million prize. He started from pole position, and led 103 laps.
His Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe finished second after leading 61 laps, and Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones completed a Toyota 1-2-3.
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Austin Dillon finished fourth, Connor Zilisch fifth, Austin Cindric sixth, William Byron seventh, Michael McDowell eighth, Alex Bowman ninth, and Brad Keselowski tenth.
Segment 1
The race got off to a wild start, as Ryan Preece was battling three-wide near the back of the field. On Lap 2, Todd Gilliland, Kyle Larson, and Preece all got tangled together, triggering a nine-car crash that resulted in a red flag.
Preece’s car actually erupted in flames after backing into the outside wall, but he was okay.
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Larson and Blaney were both involved, but because they were locked into the third segment, the teams did not give up, working on the cars back in the garage with hopes of joining the race at the rear of the field for the final 200-lap segment.
Hamlin led most of the segment after taking the lead from Keselowski, but much like the start, the end was a bit messy.
Hocevar hit the wall with a flat tire, triggering a caution with just a few laps to go. Byron led a group that pitted for fresh tires, with the rest staying out.
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On the restart, Wallace took the lead from Hamlin, and then another massive crash broke out on the frontstretch. Herbst and Bowman got together, and another nine-car crash unfolded. This wreck put Elliott, Busch, Bell, Nemechek, and Buescher all behind the wall. Busch did not return as a locked-in car, but Elliott wasn’t able to.
Wallace won the first segment over Hamlin and Chastain, but the invert was about to turn the entire race on its head.
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Segment 2
Nemechek was supposed to start the second segment with the lead, but he was involved in the wreck at the end of the previous segment. Herbst was set to start second, Bell third, and Buescher fourth, but they were all in the garage as well.
Instead, Allmendinger inherited the lead with Van Gisbergen alongside him. They battled fiercely, but the run didn’t last very long as another crash slowed the race.
Chastain collided with Keselowski at the exit of Turn 2, causing both to spin. Segment 1 winner Wallace was also involved, and all three had to go to the garage. Chastain’s race was over. Keselowski and Wallace later returned.
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Allmendinger and Van Gisbergen resumed their battle for the lead on the ensuing restart, but SVG ended up spinning while side-by-side with Allmendinger. Thankfully, everyone managed to avoid the sideways No. 97.
Reddick took control of the race and led until the next yellow for a spinning Gibbs. Herbst also had to avoid him as the No. 54 tried to get back rolling with flat tires.
During the yellow, Bell returned to the race after a lengthy stay in the garage. Most of the field also down pit road, with various tire strategies. Some took four fresh ones, others opted for two, and a few put on scuffed tires.
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Allmendinger had the lead, but he was quickly passed by Briscoe for the top spot, but Reddick then passed him.
Reddick went on to win the second segment over Briscoe, Hamlin, Hocevar, and Zilisch.
Setting the new lineup…with a calculator
The best average finish between the first two 75-lap segments would start from the front of the field, and that was Hamlin over Briscoe and Reddick.
The Open drivers advancing into the final segment were Zilisch, Jones, Bowman, McDowell, TDillon, Gragson, and Stenhouse, and Allmendinger.
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Suarez earned the Fan Vote and while his car was wounded, he did get to advance into the third segment with Spire Motorsports.
Smith, Ware, Herbst, Nemechek, Buescher, Gilliland, Preece, and Custer were the Open drivers who did not advance, while Elliott and Chastain were the only drivers locked in who could not continue due to damage.
Segment 3
Briscoe cleared Hamlin for the lead on the restart after a brief battle. However, Reddick surged on the long run, passing both Hamlin and Briscoe.
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Behind them was Zilisch, as the rookie driver impressed in the No. 88 Trackhouse Chevrolet, who moved up to third.
The battle for the lead got very interesting as the run progressed, with Briscoe fading and Hamlin challenging Reddick for the lead.
Busch and Bell made unscheduled pit stops, and Busch got hit with a speeding penalty.
Reddick fell behind Hamlin and Zilisch just as the competition caution flew with 125 laps to go.
Finally running up front, Zilisch was set to restart alongside Hamlin, but he was penalized for equipment interference.
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Hamlin remained firmly in control as the only round of green-flag pit stops got underway with 65 laps to go.
However, Logano blew a tire and crashed soon after, ending what was a quiet day for the Penske driver. This caught out several drivers, who had just made their stop, including Byron, Hocevar, and Blaney.
The race resumed with 52 laps to go, and Briscoe took the lead on the restart, but Hamlin did not let him escape.
Reddick had some sort of issue and had pit under green, giving third to Jones. The 23XI team immediately lifted the hood on the No. 45, and his shot at the All-Star win was over.
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Hamlin finally got around Briscoe with 29 laps to go, and set sail. Despite the earlier penalty, Zilisch managed to drive all the way back up inside the top five.
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