Hamlin led just nine laps in Sunday’s race, with the day largely dominated by Briscoe and the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Kyle Larson and William Byron. However, a pair of late cautions opened the door for Hamlin to steal a victory.
“Chris [Gayle] did an amazing job on that final stop getting the car just right,” said Hamlin. “I just held it down. That’s all I could do, just go for it. I felt like I had nothing to lose, just go for it and try to punch a ticket now. This feels great.”
Before Hamlin passed Briscoe for the lead, he first battled Larson, who went on to finish second. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion was impressed by Hamlin’s drive on the decisive dash to the finish.
“I thought I had a big enough gap down the backstretch to get to the top and get momentum,” said Larson. “His car, the Toyotas in general, were really, really fast on the short run and had a lot of speed. He must have nailed the bottom and got to my inside behind me. It was over from there.