BRISTOL, Tenn. — NASCAR Cup teams returned to the Bristol concrete for a spring race for the first time since the 2020 season. Denny Hamlin used the opportunity to win for the 52nd time in Cup.
Hamlin, who led a race-high 163 laps, was the defending winner at Bristol after winning last season’s playoff race. He led a top 10 on Sunday that included Martin Truex Jr. in second, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, John Hunter Nemechek, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Christopher Bell.
MORE: Bristol spring race results
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There were only five cars that finished on the lead lap after the final round of green flag pit stops and a final green flag run lasting 121 laps. Zane Smith was the only driver that failed to finish a race featuring nine cautions for 98 laps.
Sunday’s race had 16 drivers that led laps. This matched the track record set in April 1989. The 54 lead changes surpassed the previous track record of 40, which was set in April 1991.
Hamlin is the fifth driver to win a race in the first five races of the season. He joins Christopher Bell (Phoenix), Kyle Larson (Las Vegas), Daniel Suarez (Atlanta) and William Byron (Daytona).