Hamlin wins New Hampshire Xfinity race

Denny Hamlin took the #20 Toyota Camry to victory in Saturday's Xfinty Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but not without some controversy on the way. Hamlin started the 200-lap race on the pole, and on a restart following the first caution of the #0 Chevrolet of Harrison Rhodes getting into the wall, Hamlin got loose in front of his Joe Gibbs teammate's car, the #54 Toyota of Kyle Busch, and spun out in front of Busch. Hamlin and Busch scrambled to stay on the lead lap, and before the halfway point Hamlin had gotten by the other two leading Cup drivers in the field, Brad Keselowski (#22) and Austin Dillon (#33) as well as his other teammate, series rookie Daniel Suarez in the #18 Toyota, to retake the lead. Hamlin ultimately led all but 65 laps, and Busch also wound up leading 25 circuits.

After Ross Chastain (#4) and Mike Harmon (#74) brought out the third and fourth cautions, there was a long green flag run before another pair of yellows for debris/oil. The final restart allowed Austin Dillon to take his Chevrolet around Hamlin, but Hamlin went toward the bottom of the track in turn 3 and bumped Dillon out of the lead on lap 179. Hamlin scored his second Xfinity win of the year, frustrating Dillon, the 2013 series champion and an Xfinity winner four times so far in 2015. Hamlin previously had a dust-up with Dillon after a race in November of 2012 at Texas Motor Speedway in which he contended that Dillon wouldn't have a major NASCAR ride if not for his grandfather, legendary team owner Richard Childress. During Saturday's post-race conference, Hamlin said that Dillon wouldn't be mad, but instead "call him a winner".

Race Results:

1. (1) 20-Denny Hamlin - Toyota - 200 laps, led 145 laps
2. (6) 33-Austin Dillon - Chevrolet - 200 laps, led 7 laps
3. (4) 22-Brad Keselowski - Ford - 200 laps, led 17 laps
4. (2) 54-Kyle Busch - Toyota - 200 laps, led 25 laps
5. (3) 18-Daniel Suarez - Toyota - 200 laps
6. (7) 3-Ty Dillon - Chevrolet - 200 laps
7. (8) 7-Regan Smith - Chevrolet - 200 laps
8. (11) 6-Darrell Wallace Jr. - Ford - 200 laps, led 1 lap
9. (9) 9-Chase Elliott - Chevrolet - 200 laps
10. (13) 42-Brennan Poole - Chevrolet - 200 laps