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Denny Hamlin delivers first Cup win of season for Joe Gibbs Racing

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For the first time in 28 races, Denny Hamlin drove to victory lane for his first win this year and took the weight of the world off of Joe Gibbs Racing.

Denny Hamlin outran Kyle Larson in the final 25 laps to win the Overton’s 301, giving Joe Gibbs Racing its first Cup win of the season.

Driving a backup car, Hamlin led the last 34 circuits at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to give JGR its first Cup win since November 2016 at Texas Motor Speedway.

It’s Hamlin’s 30th Cup win and his third at New Hampshire.

The top five were Hamlin, Larson, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick.

“I was doing everything I could to pace (myself),” Hamlin told NBCSN at the start-finish line. “I knew (Larson) had a very fast car. It just seemed like we were able to get off the corner pretty good. Really I just drove a pace there that I felt comfortable with, just in case we had to restart. I didn’t want to burn the tires up.”

Hamlin led 54 of the race’s 301 laps. The win was his first in 28 races since claiming victory in the regular season finale at Richmond last September.

Hamlin had to go to a backup car after crashing his primary in practice on Friday.

“Put us behind the 8-ball on Friday, but it’s cool to win one like this,” Hamlin said.

MORE: Race results

MORE: Points standings

WHO HAD A GOOD DAY: Larson earned his seventh runner-up finish of the season and his second in a row after starting last due to failing post-qualifying inspection ... Martin Truex Jr. led 137 laps from the pole and claimed his 14th stage win in Stage 1 ... Daniel Suarez tied his career-best result by finishing sixth ... Danica Patrick finished 13th, giving her consecutive top-15 finishes for the first time this year ... Jimmie Johnson finished 10th after serving a pass-through penalty to start the race for a start violation.

WHO HAD A BAD DAY: Erik Jones was eliminated in a one-car wreck on the Lap 41 restart from a competition caution. The wreck was caused by a flat tire, a result from contact on pit road. Jones finished last … Cole Whitt finished 38th after blowing an engine on Lap 68 … Joey Logano went to the garage on Lap 177 for a mechanical problem. He returned to the race just beyond the 200-lap mark. He finished 37th. Kyle Busch’s hopes of ending a 34-race winless streak ended when he was caught speeding while pitting on Lap 238. He was caught speeding again when he pit again on Lap 263. Busch, who won Stage 2, finished 12th.

NOTABLE: Toyota cars led 290 laps Sunday. They have led 869 out of 902 laps in the last three races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway ... Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a season-high 10 laps in a strategy bid during green flag pit stops ... Hamlin is the first driver to win in a backup car since Kurt Busch at Michigan in June 2015 ... Denny Hamlin will join NASCAR America live from the NASCAR Hall of Fame at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday on NBCSN.

LUG NUT VIOLATIONS: Daniel Suarez and Kurt Busch each had one unsecured lug nut after the race.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "(Denny Hamlin) is probably the best short track racer there is out here. Especially, when it comes to short, flat tracks, but for me to get beat by him is not a cool thing, but I’m proud of that because Denny Hamlin, like I said is really good at this stuff.” - Kyle Larson after finishing second.

WHAT’S NEXT: Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 3 p.m. ET on July 23 on NBC.