Throwback: When Denny Hamlin Went From Fifth to First in the Last Corner to Win at Talladega

At the 2020 YellaWood 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway, Denny Hamlin took advantage of some chaos to win the race. On the last lap, he was running in sixth place as he tried to bump-draft the car ahead of him. Before long, he found himself in fifth place, as Matt DiBenedetto, Erik Jones, William Byron, and Chris Buescher scrapped for the lead.

Deciding to simply bide his time, Hamlin watched as Jones brushed the wall. The momentum forced the #20 car into a 3-wide moment with Byron and Buescher. Byron got a great run on race leader, DiBenedetto, and tried to pounce. The two of them got into each other and lost a chunk of momentum.

Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin was simply enjoying the fireworks and then struck on the final corner. He got up alongside Byron and DiBenedetto in a three-wide moment. In the run-up to the line, Byron lost ground, so it was a straight shoot between Hamlin and DiBenedetto. In the end, Denny Hamlin won the drag race by 0.023 seconds.

What happened to Denny Hamlin after the race?

Admittedly, Hamlin was not out of the woods either, because he was also under investigation. Apparently, he also maneuvered under the track limits boundaries on the final corner. However, he was able to breathe easy when race officials ruled in his favor. According to them, he was trying to avoid a potential accident between DiBenedetto and Byron.

As a result, the 40-year-old kept his win, much to the disappointment of many. Naturally, there were a number of protests against the decision to let Hamlin go scot-free. However, NASCAR defended its decision, with the officials insisting that the rulings were “clear-cut.”

This was Hamlin’s last win of the season, and it secured his berth in the next round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, poor old Matt DiBenedetto copped a penalty for forcing William Byron beyond track limits. Chris Buescher also faced a similar penalty for forcing Chase Elliott off the track.

In the end, Hamlin could only muster fourth in the 2020 Cup Series championship. However when the new season arrives, he will be determined to finally get that elusive Cup title.