Denny Hamlin Gets Magic Back on Mile of New Hampshire Motor Speedway [VIDEO, PHOTOS]

Posted on July 17, 2017

If Denny Hamlin was worried he had lost his NASCAR magic, he can rest easy now that he apparently found it again in the Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

When the green flag waived on the track nicknamed the “Magic Mile,” Martin Truex Jr. looked as though he would be the car to beat as he raced for back-to-back wins in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Martin raced his way to win stage one of the Overton’s 301 while leading a race high 137 laps in the 301 lap race.

While Martin was out front a lot of laps, so was Kyle Busch. Using some pit strategy at the end of stage one of the race, Kyle was able to win the second stage of the race. Most of the day it looked as though the race would go to one of the first two stage winners with Martin looking a bit stronger than Kyle.

However, as the race wore on through stage three Denny Hamlin began putting his name in the mix for a chance to win. Denny got out front late in the race and even raced to the lead on the seventh and final caution period of the day. He held of a hard charging Kyle Larson to grab the win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The win is Denny’s third in NASCAR’s top division on the “Magic Mile” and his 30th career win in the cup series. This win breaks a personal 28-race win-less streak for the driver of the #11 Toyota while also marking the first 2017 season win for Joe Gibs Racing (JGR) which fields four cars in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

Kyle Larson finished in second place and Martin Truex Jr. came across the finish line in third place. Denny’s JGR teammate Matt Kenseth grabbed a fourth place finish while Kevin Harvick took home fifth place. See the complete race results in the Overton’s 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway here.

Following the completion of the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr. moved up a spot to take over the lead in the point standings while Kyle Larson fell back a spot to second place. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick held steady in their respective places of third and fourth. Race winner Denny Hamlin moved up to fifth place. See the complete Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series point standings here.

With 11 of 16 playoff spots now all but clinched and just seven races left before The Chase begins, many drivers are in a must win situation to have a shot at the championship. Their next opportunity to get that win will be Sunday afternoon July 23rd in the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

By: Buck Stevens

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2017 Overton's 301

LOUDON, NH - JULY 16: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 WIX Filters Toyota, and Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, lead the field under caution prior to the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH - JULY 16: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 WIX Filters Toyota, and Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, lead the field under caution prior to the start of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 16, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com/by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

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