Denny Hamlin came out victorious in a tyre management battle at the Food City 500 to secure his first win of the 2024 NASCAR🐭 Cup 🥃Series.

The 43-year-old veteran had not won a rac✱e since the 2023 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at the Bristol Motor Speedway ✃last season.

After claiming his 52n🌠d career victory in the Cup Serie✨s Hamlin went on to praise his Joe Gibbs Toyota team after the race to Fox Sports:

“We just had a great car, a great team, the pit crew did a phenomenal job🔯 all day I can’t say enough about them.”

It became obvious very earl🍌y on that the raceꦆ last night was going to involve serious tyre management, which suited Hamlin perfectly. But also allowed team-mate Martin Truex Jr to fight him for the win:

“Once it became a tyre management race, I really liked our chances. Obviously, the veteran in Martin [Truex Jr] k𝓰new h𒁃ow to do it as well.”

Hamlin believes that his vast experience o🐈n short track growing up allowed him to ba꧋ttle for victory:

“It is what I grew up doing here in the short tracks, in the whole mid-Atlantic. So, Sout💖h Boston, Martinsville, all those tracks, it is what I grew up doing.ꦬ”

This win moved Hamlin up the Championship ord🥃er into fifth place in the standings, increasing his chances of a Championship battle lateಞr in the season.