Denny Hamlin stormed to victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway, ending a 10-year winless streak at the Virginia short track he’s long dominated. The Joe Gibbs Racing star led a race-high 274 of 400 laps—his most in the Next Gen era—claiming his first win of 2025 and sixth at the 0.526-mile oval, his last coming in 2015. The triumph, his 55th career victory, ties him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 11th all-time.
Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota outpaced teammate Christopher Bell’s No. 20, who finished second from pole, while Bubba Wallace’s No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota took third, capping a Toyota podium sweep. Chase Elliott (No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports) and Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick) rounded out the top five in Chevrolets.
A New Setup, A New Chief: Hamlin’s Revival
The Chesterfield, Virginia native, raised just hours from Martinsville, credits a bold overhaul for the breakthrough. With new crew chief Chris Gayle atop the pit box—replacing Chris Gabehart, who shifted to a JGR executive role after 23 wins with Hamlin from 2019-2024—the team retooled its approach.
“Chris Gayle, all the engineers, the pit crew, everybody really just deciding they were going to come here with a different setup than the last few years,” Hamlin said. “It was just amazing. It did everything I needed it to do. Just so happy to win with Chris. Gosh, I love winning here.”
Gayle’s arrival was a jolt. “It was probably a shock to Denny, obviously,” Gayle said. “Gabehart had been with him for a while. They’d been successful. But they were making changes at JGR for the betterment of the whole. I know Denny was probably apprehensive about, ‘I don’t want to start over at my age, don’t want a new team.’” Yet, in a “very unique” setup, Gayle joined without major personnel shifts, meshing with Hamlin’s familiar crew.
“Chris has had a tough go of it,” Hamlin said. “When we didn’t have a great weekend, social media people were just out to get him. They think he’s been the problem for all of these years. It’s just not the case. He’s had the tough task of having such young drivers his whole career. That is really hard to do. I think having someone as laid back as I am for the first time in his career is probably making his job a lot easier.”
The Camry “certainly felt like the old days,” Hamlin added, snapping a 31-race drought since Dover last April. After seizing the lead from Elliott, he fended off four restarts—including Bell’s late charges—over the final 125 laps.
Race Action: Toyota’s Day, Chaos in the Pack
Bell, with three 2025 wins, hailed the team’s pace. “It was a great weekend for Joe Gibbs Racing,” he said. “Showed a lot of pace. Really happy to get back up front. The last two weeks have been rough. Really happy for Denny. He’s the Martinsville master. Second is not that bad.”
Wallace, tying his season-best third, rued restart woes. “My restarts were terrible,” he said. “One of my best traits, so I need to go back and study that. The final restart, I let that second get away. I don’t know if I had anything for Denny. It would have been fun to try. But all in all, a hell of a day for Toyota.” His P3 lifted him to eighth in points, a boon for the 23XI team he co-owns with Hamlin and Michael Jordan.
The 400 laps saw 10 cautions—typical Martinsville mayhem. Joey Logano, the defending champion, won Stage 1 and clawed to ninth despite a late spin, blaming Ross Chastain for a tangle with Chase Briscoe. “Ross just sticking it in a tight spot,” Logano said. “He did it to me on the restart before. [Chastain] just races like a jackass every week, and I keep paying the price. I’m sick of paying the price.” Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick’s Toyota clash sparked a civil pit-lane chat, while points leader William Byron faltered to 22nd, his first lap-less race of 2025.
Post-Race Twists: Disqualifications and Milestones
Two hours after the chequered flag, NASCAR disqualified Erik Jones’ No. 43 Toyota for failing minimum weight, dropping him from 24th to 38th and docking 18 points. Jones’ and Ty Dillon’s cars were hauled to the R&D Center for scrutiny—details pending.
For Wood Brothers Racing, celebrating 75 years with a Virginia General Assembly proclamation that morning, the day soured. Josh Berry led 40 laps—the team’s most at Martinsville since David Pearson’s 180 in 1973—before Wallace’s pit-exit nudge cost him two laps. Repairs salvaged a finish, but the chance slipped.
Standings and Next Steps
Hamlin’s 274 laps led dwarfed Bell’s 63, cementing his short-track mastery among active drivers. Byron holds the points lead (231) despite his stumble, with Larson (192), Hamlin (175), Bell (171), and Wallace (158) in the top eight, per unofficial results. Logano’s ninth marked his first 2025 top-10, a lifeline after a rocky start.
The Cup Series rolls to Darlington Raceway next for the Goodyear 400 (May 11, 3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM)—NASCAR Throwback Weekend on the 1.366-mile oval. Brad Keselowski, last year’s winner, defends his crown; Chase Briscoe’s Southern 500 win looms large. For Hamlin, Martinsville’s breakthrough—his first with Gayle—sets a tone. “Winning here,” he said, “is everything.”
