Photos for Headline Surfer / TOP: Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Progressive Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway on March 30, 2025 in Martinsville, Virginia. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images). LEFT: Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images). BELOW: Christopher Bell, driver of the No. 20 DEWALT Outdoors Toyota, leads the field to the green flag to start the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway.
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
MARTINSVILLE, VA. -- Denny Hamlin finally ended his 10-year race drought at Martinsville with the checkered flag Sunday for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Hamlin grabbed the lead on Lap126 of 400 in the seventh NASCAR Cup Series race of the season and never looked back.
Hamlin, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, led 274 of the last 275 laps—with the only exception of a lap credited to pole winner Christopher Bell, who raced side-by-side with him after the final restart on Lap 326.
Hamlin pulled away toward the end of the final 75-lap green-flag run and beat Bell, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, to the finish line by 4.617 seconds.
The victory was Hamlin’s sixth at the 0.526-mile short track, most among full-time active drivers, but his first at Martinsville since 2015. It was his first win of the season and the 55th of his career, tying him with Rusty Wallace for 11th on the career victory list.
The win was also Hamlin’s first with crew chief Chris Gayle, who took over the pit box on the No. 11 Toyota this season. Hamlin has now won Cup races with seven different crew chiefs.
“You know, Chris Gayle, all the engineers, the pit crew, everybody really on that wall right there, just deciding they were going to come here with a different approach than what we’ve been over the last few years,” said Hamlin, who won at Martinsville for the first time with the Gen 7 race car.
Hamlin, Bell & Wallace finish 1-2-3 for GBR at Martinsville
Denny Hamlin, polesitter Christopher Bell, and Bubba Wallace swept the top three finishers for the Joe Gibbs Racing team.
Christopher Bell’s No. 20 Toyota was too loose over the final run to keep up with Hamlin’s No. 11 Camry.
“We were back and forth on balance a little bit,” Bell explained after the race. “I asked to be freer throughout the whole race. That last run, I just went a little bit too loose and lost my drive off (the corners). Bubba Wallace finished third for the second straight race, as Toyotas claimed the top three finishing positions at the paper-clip-shaped track.
Wallace was a little tough on himself despite finishing third overall behind Hamlin and Bell.
“That final restart, I let that second (place) getaway,” said Wallace, who drives for the 23XI Racing team co-owned by Hamlin and NBA legend Michael Jordan.
Chase Elliott came home fourth, followed by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson. Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Todd Gilliland completed the top 10.
Logano stayed on the track under the Lap 71 yellow and won the first 80-lap stage over Alex Bowman in a two-lap sprint, but it was an up-and-down day for the reigning Cup champion.
On Lap 317, Briscoe’s Toyota bounced off the inside curbing in Turn 3 and sent Logano’s Ford spinning toward the outside wall. Logano pitted for fresh tires, restarted 25th, and drove back to eighth place by lap 400, scoring his first top 10 of the season.
William Byron, who finished 22nd after a lengthy pit stop under the first caution, retained the series lead by 17 points over Larson.
Cook Out 400 Race Results
1. (5) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 400; 2. (1) Christopher Bell, Toyota, 400; 3. (8) Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 400; 4. (2) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 400; 5. (4) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 400; 6. (17) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 400; 7. (21) Ryan Preece, Ford, 400; 8. (7) Joey Logano, Ford, 400; 9. (11) Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 400; 10. (25) Todd Gilliland, Ford, 400;
11. (32) Ryan Blaney, Ford, 400; 12. (15) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 400; 13. (13) Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 400; 14. (9) Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 400; 15. (28) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 400; 16. (19) Zane Smith, Ford, 400; 17. (12) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 400; 18. (18) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 400; 19. (29) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 400; 20. (34) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 400;
21. (26) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 400; 22. (10) William Byron, Chevrolet, 400; 23. (23) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 399; 24. (6) Chris Buescher, Ford, 399. 25. (16) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 399; 26. (27) Brad Keselowski, Ford, 399; 27. (3) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, 399; 28. (30) Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 398; 29. (24) Noah Gragson, Ford, 397; 30. (36) Cody Ware, Ford, 396.
31. (35) Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 396; 32. (14) Josh Berry, Ford, 396. 33. (22) Cole Custer, Ford, 394; 34. (33) Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 394; 35. (37) Casey Mears, Ford, 389; 36. (38) Burt Myers, Chevrolet, 38 7. 37. (20) Austin Cindric, Ford, Electrical, 363; 38. (31) Erik Jones, Toyota, 399.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 68.17 mph - Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 5 Mins, 11 Secs. - Margin of Victory: 4.617 Secs. - Caution Flags: 10 for 86 laps - Lead Changes: 9 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Bell 1-23; C. Elliott 24-32; C. Bell 33; J. Berry 34-73; J. Logano 74-86; A. Bowman 87-92; C. Elliott 93-125; D. Hamlin 126-325; C. Bell 326; D. Hamlin 327-400.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): Denny Hamlin 2 times for 274 laps; Chase Elliott 2 times for 42 laps; Josh Berry 1 time for 40 laps; Christopher Bell 3 times for 25 laps; Joey Logano 1 time for 13 laps; Alex Bowman 1 time for 6 laps.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 22,48,16,6,42,60,9,11,41,5 ... Stage #2 Top Ten: 11,9,23,54,19,12,1,20,5,45
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