The Latest: Larson wins playoff to race at Dover to advance
DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Latest on the NASCAR race at Dover International Speedway (all times local):
5:55 p.m.
Kyle Larson pulled away late and won the playoff race at Dover International Speedway to snap a 75-race winless streak and earn an automatic berth in the next round.
Larson had nine runner-up finshes in the No. 42 Chevrolet since his last win Sept. 9, 2017, in Richmond, keeping the Chip Ganassi Racing driver in championship contention.
Larson has six career Cup victories and his first one in the playoffs. He led 154 laps late after Denny Hamlin went from dominant to dud midway through the race. Hamlin led 219 laps before fading.
Larson did win the non-points All-Star race this year.
NASCAR playoff drivers took the top six spots: Martin Truex Jr. finished second, followed by Alex Bowman, Kevin Harvick, Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
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4:40 p.m.
Denny Hamlin led 219 laps but faded at the end of the second stage to allow Martin Truex Jr. to zip by him and win the stage at Dover.
Truex, Kyle Larson and Hamlin took the top three spots as the stage in the NASCAR playoff ended.
Hamlin led most of the race from the pole as he chased his first win at Dover in a career that started in 2006. He is making his 500th career start and Dover is celebrating its 100th race.
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3:45 p.m.
Pole sitter Denny Hamlin has won the first stage of the NASCAR race at Dover. Playoff drivers Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Larson followed Hamlin.
Hamlin is trying to win at Dover for the first time in 28 races.
Joey Logano and Chase Elliott had their races ruined with major issues with their cars inside 10 laps.
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3 p.m.
Reigning series NASCAR Cup champion Joey Logano and Chase Elliott both ran into major issues in their playoff push early at Dover International Speedway.
Logano's No. 22 Ford had an issue with the rear of the car and was forced to the garage before the green flag dropped. Elliott, who won last week at Charlotte, also had his Chevrolet sent to the garage before 10 laps were complete with a blown engine.
Both drivers are among the 12 in the NASCAR playoff field. Dover was the first race of the second round.
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2:45 p.m.
Denny Hamlin is on the pole as he goes for his first victory at Dover International Speedway.
Hamlin is for 0 for 27 in races on the concrete mile track dating to 2006. He has only four top-five finishes, did not finish four times and his average finish is just 17.5 place. He finished 21st in the No. 11 Toyota in the May race at Dover.
Martin Truex Jr. won the spring race.
Hamlin will lead the field to green for the second round of the playoffs in his 500th career NASCAR Cup Series start. Richard Petty at Trenton in 1970 and Matt Kenseth at New Hampshire in 2013 are the only drivers to win their 500th start.
Joe Gibbs Racing has 15 wins this season and needs three more in seven races to match Hendrick Motorsports' record total of 18 in 2007.
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