RADIO
Denny Hamlin Quietly Gains Another Top-Five Finish at Phoenix
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin finished fifth in the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. The No. 11 Toyota driver began the race from the 11th position and quietly made moves for position in the first stage. Hamlin made it up to fifth by the end of the first stage without issue and scored six stage points. The second stage, much like the first, saw Hamlin gaining positions quietly on track, but he became more of a factor for the lead by the late parts of the stage. Hamlin made it up to the top three during the second stage's final restart on lap 168, and he took advantage of restarting against slower cars to briefly hold the lead for a few laps until his teammate, Christopher Bell, passed him on lap 173. At the end of the second stage, Hamlin placed second and earned nine more stage points. In the final stage, Hamlin ran in the top 10 for most of the stage and avoided several crashes. Despite having one of the fastest cars in the field, Hamlin could only finish in fifth place at the end of the race as he did not have the speed to catch the top four. Hamlin's finish of fifth marked his first top-5 finish of the year, and he now sits 12th in the regular season standings after four races.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
