Denny Hamlin Steals Darlington Victory From William Byron and Ryan Blaney

By Colin Ward

It’s hard to believe that in a race where William Byron led 243 of 293 laps, so many drivers would walk away feeling like they were robbed of a shot at victory. But that’s exactly what happened as the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway came to a close.

The first driver feeling the sting of defeat is, of course, William Byron. Again—243 of 293 laps. 

For more than three-quarters of the afternoon, Byron was dominant. But between Tyler Reddick short-pitting and Christopher Bell’s team getting him off pit road faster, Byron suddenly found himself out of the picture.

The next tough-luck story belongs to Ryan Blaney. What could have been for him. Blaney took the lead from Reddick with less than five laps to go—just before the caution flew for Kyle Larson’s second crash of the afternoon. 

When the field hit pit road for the final stop before overtime, Blaney’s crew—who has had a history of struggles under pressure—lost him three spots. Blaney would end up finishing fifth.

Then there’s Tyler Reddick. Remember, he was passed for the lead with just a few miles left. He had done everything right, but the brutal tire falloff at Darlington made it impossible for him to hold off Blaney’s charge. 

“Damn! That was close,” team owner Michael Jordan told Reddick after the race.

In the end, it was Denny Hamlin who capitalized, securing the win in the Goodyear 400. It was a complete testament to his pit crew, who delivered an incredible final stop to get him out front for the overtime restart. 

The win marked Joe Gibbs Racing’s 11th victory at Darlington, the second-most all-time by any organization at the track.

It was also the first overtime finish at Darlington in exactly two years—the last one coming on May 14, 2023.

Hamlin, now 44 years old, continues to show he’s still at the top of his game. After winning at Martinsville last week, he backed it up with another victory at Darlington, in dramatic fashion.

Not many professional athletes stay at the peak of their sport into their mid-40s. Not many are even still in the game at that age. Darlington is one of the most physically demanding tracks on the calendar, so what Hamlin is doing right now isn’t easy, and it deserves to be celebrated.

Hamlin now sets his sights on making it three in a row next weekend at Bristol, where he’s the defending winner of the spring race.

Meanwhile, Byron, Blaney, and Reddick will look to regroup at a track where all three have run well—yet none have ever won.