Hamlin managed to stay in the lead for most of the last 147 laps of the race, except for a brief moment when Larson passed him during a pit stop. But Hamlin quickly took back the lead during the restart.
With only 40 laps to go out of 400, Larson got close to Hamlin, but then fell back a bit. In the last 10 laps, Larson tried one more time to catch up, but Hamlin held him off and won by a small margin of 0.256 seconds. Hamlin was happy about getting the lead back during the restart after the pit stop. He said, “That was the key moment for us. Man, certainly feels good winning here at Dover.”
Hamlin was also excited about tying Lee Petty for 12th place in all-time wins. He said, “It’s fantastic. I couldn’t hold Lee Petty’s helmet. I’ve been blessed with a great race team.” This win was Hamlin’s third win of the 2024 season.
Despite damage to his car’s front, Martin Truex Jr. finished third, while Kyle Busch, who started in pole position, came in fourth, and Chase Elliott finished fifth.
Other drivers in the top 10 were Noah Gragson, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Daniel Hemric, and Ty Gibbs.
During Stage 1, Truex won under caution, followed by William Byron and Tyler Reddick. Larson led in Stage 2 after a round of pit stops, with Bowman coming in second.
In Stage 3, Hamlin led after pit stops, followed by Larson and Bowman. Larson briefly took the lead during pit stops but lost it when a caution came out. The race ended with a green flag run, with Hamlin leading Larson and Truex.
Larson tried hard to catch up to Hamlin in the last few laps, but Hamlin maintained his lead, winning the race. Truex finished third, with Gragson in fourth and Truex in fifth.
