Denny Hamlin praises his 'great car and great team' after wild Food City 500

Denny Hamlin came out victorious in a tyre management battle at the Food City 500 to secure his first win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series.

The 43-year-old veteran had not won a race since the 2023 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway last season.

After claiming his 52nd career victory in the Cup Series Hamlin went on to praise his Joe Gibbs Toyota team after the race to Fox Sports:

“We just had a great car, a great team, the pit crew did a phenomenal job all day I can’t say enough about them.”

It became obvious very early on that the race last night was going to involve serious tyre management, which suited Hamlin perfectly. But also allowed team-mate Martin Truex Jr to fight him for the win:

“Once it became a tyre management race, I really liked our chances. Obviously, the veteran in Martin [Truex Jr] knew how to do it as well.”

Hamlin believes that his vast experience on short track growing up allowed him to battle for victory:

“It is what I grew up doing here in the short tracks, in the whole mid-Atlantic. So, South Boston, Martinsville, all those tracks, it is what I grew up doing.”

This win moved Hamlin up the Championship order into fifth place in the standings, increasing his chances of a Championship battle later in the season.