"We're running better than ever" - Hamlin ecstatic after Dover win

Denny Hamlin claimed his third win of the season last night in an all-out duel against Kyle Larson at Dover Motor Speedway. The #11 held off the #5 car in the closing stages of the race to stamp his authority back onto the NASCAR Cup Series.

After the race, Hamlin spoke highly of his rival Larson and about the battle the two had towards the end of the 400-lap race:

“I think Kyle did a much better job than I did executing his green flag pit stop, I was a little bit hesitant, and he gained a tonne of time on that. We had a little hiccup on the pit stop, but only one in ten stops does that happen, those guys are doing a fabulous job for me and get me out front most times.

“It was a battle there at the end. Larson controlled the restart, I got him, but then the caution came out and I was able to control it and take the lead from there.”

With only two races to go until the NASCAR All-Star weekend, Hamlin spoke on his expectations going into the next two rounds at Kansas and Darlington:

“Before the weekend Chris Gabehart told me I needed to win in one of the next three races to feel good about where we are heading into the all-star weekend. I told him I would get it done.”

Finally, Hamlin also believes that this current #11 team has the potential to be Championship contenders in the playoffs later in the year:

“Certainly. We are running as good or better than we ever have, maybe we have had more wins at this point of the season before I am not sure about that. But I feel like we have led at least once in every race, and it has been legit not because of pit stops or anything we are up front every single week and it is the team that allows me to do that”.