Denny Hamlin wins the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega
In February, Denny Hamlin won every event at the restrictor-plate track in Daytona except the Daytona 500. On Sunday, he redeemed himself, getting his first restrictor plate win (that counted), winning the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The win for Hamlin is his first of the 2014 season, landing him a spot (virtually) for the 2014 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
“It feels good to be back in victory lane!” Hamlin said in his post-race interview.
“Things were getting a little heavy in the middle of the race, but we were able to avoid all of that.”
Hamlin stuck in the middle of the pack for most of the race, and towards the end, worked his way up to the front, leading only 12 laps of the 188 laps run.
Roush Fenway Racing driver Greg Biffle finished 2nd, and Michael Waltrip Racing’s Clint Bowyer finished in 3rd.
Your OFFICIAL results, following the race:
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | $303,315.00 |
| 2 | 16 | Greg Biffle | $265,985.00 |
| 3 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | $215,151.00 |
| 4 | 55 | Brian Vickers | $181,760.00 |
| 5 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger | $154,113.00 |
| 6 | 27 | Paul Menard | $167,384.00 |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | $158,778.00 |
| 8 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | $131,145.00 |
| 9 | 42 | Kyle Larson | $140,590.00 |
| 10 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | $152,795.00 |
| 11 | 40 | Landon Cassill | $104,410.00 |
| 12 | 18 | Kyle Busch | $152,276.00 |
| 13 | 43 | Aric Almirola | $143,821.00 |
| 14 | 13 | Casey Mears | $130,018.00 |
| 15 | 3 | Austin Dillon | $151,146.00 |
| 16 | 7 | Michael Annett | $118,043.00 |
| 17 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr | $130,493.00 |
| 18 | 31 | Ryan Newman | $109,735.00 |
| 19 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | $127,280.00 |
| 20 | 98 | Josh Wise | $98,535.00 |
| 21 | 26 | Cole Whitt | $96,160.00 |
| 22 | 10 | Danica Patrick | $106,835.00 |
| 23 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | $148,871.00 |
| 24 | 32 | Terry Labonte | $109,168.00 |
| 25 | 66 | Michael Waltrip | $105,410.00 |
| 26 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | $104,110.00 |
| 27 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | $113,107.00 |
| 28 | 23 | Alex Bowman | $94,510.00 |
| 29 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | $129,024.00 |
| 30 | 99 | Carl Edwards | $111,110.00 |
| 31 | 83 | Ryan Truex | $92,460.00 |
| 32 | 22 | Joey Logano | $131,301.00 |
| 33 | 41 | Kurt Busch | $91,185.00 |
| 34 | 36 | Reed Sorenson | $91,060.00 |
| 35 | 34 | David Ragan | $98,910.00 |
| 36 | 95 | Michael McDowell | $90,785.00 |
| 37 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | $139,742.00 |
| 38 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | $130,098.00 |
| 39 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | $127,626.00 |
| 40 | 38 | David Gilliland | $84,690.00 |
| 41 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | $72,690.00 |
| 42 | 33 | Brian Scott | $74,690.00 |
| 43 | 14 | Tony Stewart | $99,348.00 |
Now for the Chase update:
Updated point standings (also UNOFFICIAL):
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Pts. | Back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | 347 | 0 |
| 2 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | 344 | -3 |
| 3 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | 342 | -5 |
| 4 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | 328 | -19 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | 328 | -19 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | 305 | -42 |
| 7 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | 303 | -44 |
| 8 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | 300 | -47 |
| 9 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | 298 | -49 |
| 10 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | 297 | -50 |