In the NASCAR Cup Series race where the final lap kept fans on the edge of their seats, Denny Hamlin emerged victorious at the Cracker Barrel 400.

Just as lap 400 began, Hamlin, Bell, and Briscoe went three wide as they battled for the win. Bell took the lead at one point, but Hamlin quickly retook the lead as he retained the inside line to go through. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver held off his teammates as he took the checkered flag by a mere 0.115 seconds. 

The No. 11 JGR Toyota driver spoke to NASCAR.com about how he was able to hold off his teammates. He said,

"The 20 (Christopher Bell) and 19 (Chase Briscoe) were battling so hard in that first corner, it let me get to the inside of the 20 in the first corner there after the restart. And from there, side by side with the 20, and he drove in so deep on that last lap into (Turn) 1, it allowed me to just barely clear off (Turn) 2. But man, what an unbelievable day. Starting first, going to last, and then back to first."

Hamlin then spoke about the penalty NASCAR gave him for jumping the start of the race.

"I definitely jumped the start. Looking back at it, just didn’t wait quite long enough. Thank you to this sellout crowd. It’s been an honor," Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin started the race from the pole but was quickly sent to the back of the pack after the jump start. But he managed to make up places through the restarts and managed to climb to fifth place by the end of stage 2. He regained his lead as the last stage of the race began.

The No. 11 driver's victory, the 62nd of his Cup career, was a unique happening, as he became the first Toyota driver to win at the 1.33-mile, D-shaped oval, and it also marked his first win in Music City.

He ended his victory celebrations with a nod to his former teammate and late two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch as he bowed down with a checkered flag. Hamlin is also one win away from equalling Busch’s record of 63 wins.

Denny Hamlin Was Nervous Heading Into The Nashville Race

In previous years, Denny Hamlin has come close to winning the race at Nashville, but could not convert strong positions into victories. In 2023 and 2025, he finished third and also had a sixth-place at the oval dating to 2022.

This feeling of 'so near yet so far' caused him to be nervous about the race. Speaking ahead of the race weekend, Hamlin reminisced about those instances, saying:

"I’ve been so close over the last few years. But I love the racetrack. I definitely do and certainly feel like it’s been a very raceable race track over the last couple (races) since they’ve worked the resin in and whatnot. So it’s, um, I’m a little nervous going into the weekend, truthfully."

Hamlin finally broke, what could be called a minor curse, on Sunday and won at the Nashville Super Speedway to take his second win of the 2026 Cup season.  The JGR driver stands second in the standings behind Tyler Reddick, who leads the Championship by 97 points.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak