NASCAR at Charlotte results: Denny Hamlin pulls off wild double-overtime win in longest-ever Cup Series race

NASCAR at Charlotte results: Denny Hamlin pulls off wild double-overtime win in longest-ever Cup Series race

By Michael Jordan 3 years ago

Denny Hamlin had not led a lap in the Coca-Cola 600 since the ninth lap of the race. But when the third big crash of the Charlotte race happened just before the white flag in the first overtime, the driver of the No. 11 car raced ahead as the caution came out and took the lead.

Once the smoke had cleared and the cars lined up for the second overtime, the race was down to Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. The driver of the No. 18 car briefly took the lead right before the white flag, but Hamlin took it right back. Hamlin then held off his teammate by 0.119 seconds for his first Coca-Cola 600 win and his second win of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

“So special, I mean it’s the last big win that’s not on my resume. It meant so much,” Hamlin told the Fox broadcast.

“We weren’t very good all day. Just got ourselves in the right place at the right time,” he said.

MORE: Watch NASCAR Cup Series races live with fuboTV (free trial)

In a race that turned out to be the longest in NASCAR history at 619.5 miles, there was plenty of chaos to keep things unpredictable. On Lap 192, there was a crash involving 12 drivers and severeal of them had their nights ended. On Lap 346, Chris Buescher flipped in his car following a crash with Daniel Suarez. Buescher was able to walk out of the car and was later medically cleared.

After a first 130 laps that he called “the worst race of my life,” last year’s Coca-Cola 600 champion, Kyle Larson, was in a position to win. On the restart after the Suarez-Buescher crash, Larson took the lead from Ross Chastain, who had led the race for 153 laps. Larson led for the next 42 laps, holding off Chase Briscoe. Briscoe briefly passed Larson and made a move with two laps to go to try to get by, but he was spun, and the caution flag was waved again.

The first overtime brought out what appeared to be a race between Larson and Chastain after each received just two tires on pit road. But Austin Dillon, who began OT in sixth after getting four tires, raced all the way up to the front and appeared ready to capture the lead after catching Larson, Chastain and Joey Logano by surprise. But once the cars got four wide, Dillon spun, collecting several of the leaders and allowing Hamlin to race past.

“You’re trying to gamble it on tire stuff there. I think we took two, try and get ourselves in the front row, which we did, and I think the four tires were just a little bit better than me and got my inside there, [in Turns] 3 and 4,” Larson said. “[Dillon] almost had me cleared and we just made contact there and there’s a big wreck, so, kind of ended my night there.”

The Sporting News tracked live updates and lap-by-lap highlights for NASCAR’s race at Charlotte on Sunday night. Follow for complete results from the Coca-Cola 600. (All times Eastern.)

NASCAR at Charlotte live updates, highlights from Coca-Cola 600

11:49 p.m.: Hamlin and Busch immediately race ahead of Chastain’s damaged car. Hamlin just takes the lead after the white flag, and holds on to win.

11:47 p.m.: Second overtime is underway.

11:46 p.m.: Hamlin takes the inside and Chastain rides outside when the race restarts.

11:43 p.m.: This is the current order: Hamlin, Chastain, Kyle Busch, Harvick, Stenhouse, McDowell, Ty Dillon, Burton, Briscoe and Truex.

11:39 p.m.: Hamlin came out ahead of that mess in the lead, but there will be another overtime to decide the winner.

11:37 p.m.: Larson clears Chastain, but a caution flag comes out before the white after Austin Dillon nearly clears Larson. Several cars, including Larson, Chastain, Logano and Dillon, were collected.

11:37 p.m.: Green-white finish coming up on the restart.

11:35 p.m.: Larson starts on the inside with Chastain on the outside.

11:32 p.m.: Larson just edges Chastain on pit road.

11:32 p.m.: Leaders pit.

11:31 p.m.: Briscoe apologizes to his team after the spin.

11:30 p.m.: This race is headed to overtime.

11:28 p.m.: Two laps to go, Briscoe makes a move to take the lead, but he spins trying to pass Larson.

11:27 p.m.: Briscoe tries to make a move on the outside with five laps left, but he can’t quite clear him and drops back. The second attempt is a bit more successful, but Larson stays to the outside of Briscoe and cuts back to the lead.

11:23 p.m.: Bell hits the wall with 12 laps left, but the race stays green. Briscoe is back only by about 0.2 seconds behind Larson.

11:19 p.m.: Briscoe is not letting Larson open up too far. He’s within a half-second of the leader now with 20 laps left.

11:15 p.m.: Larson continues to hold onto his lead with less than 30 laps to go. He’s up to about a second advantage over Briscoe, with Chastain in third about 1.5 seconds back.

11:06 p.m.: Larson passes Chastain from the outside.

11:04 p.m.: This race is back to green with 48 laps to go.

11:04 p.m.: Buescher has been cleared by the infield care center.

10:56 p.m.: Buescher was able to climb out of the car, and engines have been re-fired.

10:46 p.m.: Red flag comes out for this crash.

10:45 p.m.: Huge crash sees Suarez crash and Buescher flip across the frontstretch.

10:44 p.m.: Chastain clears Larson on the restart with 55 laps to go to maintain his lead. Custer now making a run to try and clear Larson and move into second.

10:38 p.m.: Chastain, Larson, Briscoe, Custer and Austin Dillon are the first five off pit road. Dillon gained three and Kyle Busch moved up six to land in seventh.

10:36 p.m.: Debris brings out the 15th caution of the race.

10:32 p.m.: Aric Almirola bumps Jones into the wall, and he is now reporting that he’s loose.

10:28 p.m.: With 76 laps remaining, Chastain reclaims the lead by racing outside and clearing him for the lead.

10:20 p.m.: Reddick takes the lead on the stage 4 green flag, just edging out Chastain.

10:19 p.m.: Bowman is headed to the back for a pit road penalty.

10:13 p.m.: First five off pit road: Reddick, Chastain, Larson, Briscoe and Custer. Kyle Busch opted to stay out after he was down a lap.

10:09 p.m.: Chastain wins Stage 3, his third stage win of the 2022 Cup Series season.

10:08 p.m.: Briscoe fell back, and now Larson is making a move on the inside to try and pass him for second. With two laps to go, both are more than two seconds back of Chastain.

10:06 p.m.: Briscoe is keeping in tight with Chastain with five laps left in the third stage. Less than a second separates the two for first place.

10:05 p.m.: Busch is headed to pit road with a flat tire. There’s only nine laps left to go.

10:02 p.m.: The battle between Stenhouse, Harvick and Bowman keeps going. They have all been close throughout the past few laps.

9:55 p.m.: Bell hits the wall and is headed to pit road.

9:50 p.m.: Larson is making a run. He’s just over a second back of the lead and is trying to pass Buescher for fourth.

9:47 p.m.: Stage 3 is back under green with 42 laps remaining.

9:47 p.m.: Suarez dropped from first before the caution to 13th.

9:43 p.m.: Chastain, Briscoe, Reddick, Buescher and Hamlin are the first five cars off pit road.

9:42 p.m.: Gragson spins on the 54th lap of the stage.

9:34 p.m.: Chastain is really creating some separation from himself and the rest of the field. He’s got about a 2.5-second lead over Logano, who continues to ride in second.

9:28 p.m.: Through the first 30 laps of the stage, Chastain is leading Logano, Briscoe, Busch and Bell.

9:26 p.m.: The third stage is back underway with 75 laps to go.

9:24 p.m.: Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels gave an impassioned speech to Larson and the crew after more issues on pit road between the second and third stages.

9:21 p.m.: A few drivers head to pit road during the caution.

9:20 p.m.: Caution comes out as Harvick hits the wall.

9:16 p.m.: Suarez makes the pass along the outside on lap 14 of the stage to take the lead over Logano.

9:13 p.m.: The third stage is underway. Logano leads Truex and gets a good run to start the stage.

9:09 p.m.: First five off pit road: Suarez, Chastain, Briscoe, Erik Jones and Reddick.

9:06 p.m.: Wallace is out of the race.

9:04 p.m.: NASCAR holding a moment of silence to honor and remember fallen military.

8:59 p.m.: Suarez wins the chaotic second stage. This race is halfway over.

8:57 p.m.: Blaney is off to the garage now too.

8:56 p.m.: Back to green with four laps to go in the stage, quite a few cars down.

8:55 p.m.: Keselowski and Kurt Busch also out.

8:53 p.m.: The Fox broadcast says that Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Hamlin, Blaney, Noah Gragson, Truex, Harrison Burton, Wallace, Byron, Michael McDowell, Todd Gilliland and Kurt Busch were involved.

8:51 p.m.: Byron and Elliott are out, and they might not be the only ones out.

8:47 p.m.: Nine to go in stage two, with Chastain getting a good boost off the restart. Blaney spins out and collects several cars. Caution flag comes out.

8:40 p.m.: Elliott spins out for the ninth caution of the race. He hit the wall after trying to pass Suarez, and then spun out over the grass.

8:33 p.m.: Suarez and Chastain are battling for the lead early after the restart. Chastain had the lead off the restart, but Suarez has been making a push along the inside.

8:32 p.m.: There’s the restart with 30 laps to go in the second stage.

8:28 p.m.: Kyle Busch having some issues on pit road with the front right tire.

8:27 p.m.: Larson nearly collected Harvick after the spin.

8:25 p.m.: Good save by Blaney, who appeared to get loose and hit the wall, but he’s still rolling. Larson goes for a spin though and brings out the caution. 35 laps to go.

8:23 p.m.: The decision to stay out has kept Blaney and Larson in the top 10, but both have fallen back. Blaney is now fifth and Larson is 10th with 39 laps to go.

8:19 p.m.: The race is back to green. Elliott, Blaney, Chastain and Larson are the top five.

8:16 p.m.: Truex has to go to the rear for a pit-road penalty.

8:14 p.m.: Elliott, Chastain, Kurt Busch, Truex and Reddick are the first five off pit road, but a few other drivers opted to stay out on the track.

8:12 p.m.: Caution comes out for Cindric after his left-rear tire goes out, and he spins into the wall. 53 laps to go in the second stage.

8:03 p.m.: On lap 32, the second stage is back to green.

8:02 p.m.: Larson is not happy with how the race has gone.

7:59 p.m.: Most of the field heads to pit road on lap 129. Elliott, Chastain, Blaney, Hamlin and Truex are the first five off pit road. There’s also more issues for Larson on pit road as there was fire in his pit, and his car left the stall on fire.

7:57 p.m.: Wallace spins on lap 127, and he lost his tire, but he miraculously glides and landed just a little bit behind his pit stall. He’s already back in the field.

7:50 p.m.: Kyle Busch has re-entered the top 10 after passing Chris Buescher on lap 15. He led the early portion of the race, but spun out and had to move all the way back from the rear.

7:49 p.m.: Chastain takes the lead on the 11th lap of the second stage, passing Elliott from the inside.

7:46 p.m.: Stage 2 is underway.

7:41 p.m.: Elliott, Bell, Wallace, Chastain and Truex are the first five drivers off pit road.

7:37 p.m.: Elliott wins the first stage just ahead of Reddick, Bell, Chastain and Wallace.

7:34 p.m.: Byron saves himself after he started to drift on the second turn. He drops down to 10th, but avoided any issues.

7:32 p.m.: With under 10 laps remaining, Elliott, Reddick, Byron, Bell and Chastain are the top five drivers in the field.

7:25 p.m.: The Kyles are moving back up. Larson is up to 26th, while Busch has moved up to 27th through 77 laps.

7:20 p.m.: Elliott clears Byron early after the restart to take sole possession of first.

7:19 p.m.: Green flag is back out, and the drivers are off with 33 laps to go in the first stage.

7:16 p.m.: LaJoie is out after his crash.

7:14 p.m.: Larson takes another penalty on pit road. That’s his second penalty of the day.

7:12 p.m.: Off pit road, it’s Elliott, Byron, Bowman, Suarez, Reddick that lead the field.

7:11 p.m.: Corey LaJoie hits the wall with 39 laps remaining after going for a spin. Kyle Busch will now have the free pass.

7:10 p.m.: With 40 laps to go, it’s Chevrolet at the top. Suarez, Bowman, Elliott and Byron are the top four drivers in the field.

7:07 p.m.: Larson hit the wall, but he’s still going. He’s already moved up to 12th after being moved to the rear for the equipment penalty on pit road.

7:06 p.m.: Kyle Busch is still on the track after meeting minimum speed. He’s a lap down and is behind the rest of the field, except Bilicki and Preece, who are both out of the race.

7:04 p.m.: Restart on lap 51, and Suarez is able to clear Hamlin for the lead.

6:58 p.m.: Kyle Busch got loose and spun after Suarez passed him for the lead. Caution flag is out.

6:57 p.m.: Suarez has now passed Wallace for second, as Kyle Busch continues to lead the race. Suarez is trying to make a run at Busch on the 46th lap from the inside.

6:54 p.m.: There’s the restart, and Kyle Busch and Wallace battle it out side-by-side to lead on the 39th lap.

6:51 p.m.: Larson has to move to the rear for a penalty on pit road.

6:49 p.m.: Hamlin, Byron, Suarez, Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman are the first five drivers off pit road, but several of the leaders remained out on the course, including Kyle Busch and Wallace.

6:47 p.m.: Another caution, this one on the 32nd lap after Josh Bilicki spins out.

6:42 p.m.: Kyle Larson began Sunday’s race in the 36th position. He’s already climbed up to No. 13.

6:41 p.m.: Preece is out of the race.

6:40 p.m.: The race is back to green on the 23rd lap.

6:38 p.m.: Ryan Blaney and Truex Jr. both called for speeding on pit road.

6:36 p.m.: Most of the drivers take the pit road stop on the 20th lap. Busch, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, Hamlin and Daniel Suarez are the first five off pit road.

6:34 p.m.: First caution flag of the race coming out on the 18th lap after Ryan Preece gets spun. Chris Buescher and Noah Gragson collide with him.

6:33 p.m.: Toyotas were expected to drive well in this race, and so far, they are living up to that. Kyle Busch and Wallace are riding first and second, Hamlin is in fifth, Christopher Bell, Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. are seventh, eighth and ninth through 16 laps.

6:30 p.m.: Kyle Busch has taken the lead from Hamlin on the 10th lap.

6:28 p.m.: Hamlin was able to clear Kurt Busch on the fourth lap and take a car length’s lead, and on the seventh lap, Kyle Busch passed his brother for second. Bubba Wallace has also risen up, moving all the way up to third to also pass Kurt Busch after starting the race in seventh.

6:25 p.m.: Hamlin finishes the first lap in the lead by a one-hundredth of a second, as he and Kurt Busch continue to race side-by-side, Hamlin on the outside and Busch running from the bottom.

6:24 p.m.: The 2022 Coca-Cola 600 is officially underway as the green flag is waved, and Kurt Busch and Denny Hamlin start the race off riding neck-and-neck at the front.

6:12 p.m.: Engines fired in Charlotte.

6:03 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies are underway, starting with the invocation, the playing of Amazing Grace and 21-gun salute.

NASCAR start time

  • Race: Coca-Cola 600
  • Date: Sunday, May 29
  • Start time: 6 p.m. ET

Sunday’s race has a listed start time of 6 p.m. ET, but the green flag is scheduled to be waved at 6:18 p.m. ET following prerace ceremonies.

What channel is NASCAR on today?

  • TV channel: Fox | TSN1 (Canada) | TSN5 (Canada)
  • Live stream: Fox Sports Go, fuboTV

Sunday’s Cup Series race will be carried by Fox in the U.S., and TSN1 and TSN5 in Canada.

Mike Joy will call the lap-by-lap action with Clint Bowyer providing analysis in the booth. Jamie McMurray will join them in the booth as a guest analyst for the race.

Viewers hoping to stream the race can find it on Fox Sports Go or on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

NASCAR lineup at Charlotte

Here is the complete starting lineup for the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race at Charlotte.

Starting pos. Driver Car No. Team
1 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing
2 Kurt Busch 45 23XI Racing
3 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing
4 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing
5 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports
6 Austin Cindric 2 Team Penske
7 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing
8 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing
9 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports
10 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports
11 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske
12 Daniel Suarez 99 Trackhouse Racing
13 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports
14 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing
15 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing
16 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing
17 Harrison Burton 21 Wood Brothers Racing
18 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing
19 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
20 Justin Haley 31 Kaulig Racing
21 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing
22 Ross Chastain 1 Trackhouse Racing
23 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske
24 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing
25 Erik Jones 43 Petty GMS Motorsports
26 Ryan Preece 15 Rick Ware Racing
27 Noah Gragson 16 Kaulig Racing
28 Ty Dillon 42 Petty GMS Motorsports
29 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing
30 Todd Gilliland 38 Front Row Motorsports
31 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports
32 Josh Bilicki 77 Spire Motorsports
33 Cody Ware 51 Rick Ware Racing
34 Kaz Grala 78 The Money Team Racing
35 Brad Keselowski 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing
36 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports
37 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports

 

 

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