Denny Hamlin Makes NASCAR History After Winning Coca-Cola 600
Denny Hamlin has officially made NASCAR history. On Sunday the 41-year-old NASCAR driver won the Coco-Cola 600, which is the longest race of the season. It was the first time Hamlin has won the Coca-Cola 600, and according to CBS Sports, Hamlin won the longest race in NASCAR history as it lasted 413 laps and 619.5 miles due to the race going into overtime. Hamlin is also the 12th driver in NASCAR history to win the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Southern 500, and those three are considered the majors of the sport.
"It's so special," Hamlin said after the race, per Speedway Digest. "It's the last big one that's not on my resume. I meant so much. Man, I just can't thank this who FedEx team enough. Jordan Brand, Shady Rays, Toyota, Coca-Cola. I've been a Coke family driver for 18 years. Never won the Coke 600 before. This means a lot. ...Man, we weren't very good all day. Just ourselves in the right place at the right time. What a battle there.
Winning was big for Hamlin because he's on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff standings. He currently stands in 17th place, but there are still some races reaming to make up come ground. As much of a struggle 2022 has been for Hamlin, he's one of the just two drivers to win at least two races with the others being Ross Chastain and William Byron.
Hamlin has proven to be one of the best drivers in the Cup Series. He has won the Daytona 500 three times and a total of 48 Cup Series races in 592 starts. But the one thing he would love to do is win a Cup Series championship as he has finished in the top four in the last three seasons.
"I just need some kind of break to fall our way when it counts," Hamlin told Racer.com in January when he was asked if he could win the Cup Series title this year. "You know, anytime you have one racer take all, you have to have some elements that are out of your control and go your way, and I just haven't had that moment happen yet. Absolutely we can win. We've been in the final four now in the last three years, so yes, every year is a new opportunity."