Denny Hamlin hammers opposition in Food City 500

Denny Hamlin gets his first win of the season after claiming victory in today's race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Martin Truex Jr finished in second place with Brad Keselowski in third. The top five were rounded out by Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson. With John Hunter Nemecheck, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell rounding out the top ten.

During the 500 lap race in Bristol, drivers faced the challenge of preserving their tyres. Despite this, each driver employed a different strategy to ensure that their 10 sets of standard tyres, as well as their additional set of tyres that Goodyear released mid-race, could last for the entire duration.

The drama that tyre wear caused in this race led to a new record of lap leaders at Bristol Motor Speedway. Across the 500 laps, 54 different drivers led a lap of racing.

Ty Gibbs claimed his first stage victory in the NASCAR Cup Series by leading six laps in the opening stage of the race. The second stage was characterized by intense efforts to manage the tyres, and Gibbs emerged victorious in the stage by regaining the lead just before the end of the stage. Overall, Ty Gibbs took all the spoils from the opening stages in Bristol. However, the 21-year-old did not have the tyre management strategy in the long game as he finished in ninth.

The Championship leader coming into this race and the Food City 500 poleman, Ryan Blaney, took his Ford to 16th place in the fifth race of the season. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Champion lost his lead in the 2024 series due to his result today.