Denny Hamlin won the Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 with a last-lap pass of Joey Logano in Turn 4 in an overtime finish.
Logano had passed Hamlin going into Turn 3 before Hamlin went back beneath Logano through Turn 4.
It is Hamlin’s fifth Xfinity Series win at Darlington Raceway. All five have come from the pole.
“Just a really good restart, got through Turns 1 and 2 really good,” Hamlin told NBCSN at the start-finish line. “Great run by the 22 (Logano) getting back to me on the last lap. I think that was a throwback to Dale Earnhardt there in (Turns) 3 and 4.”
Hamlin led 33 laps. He took the lead on the overtime finish, pulling ahead of Logano.
“We definitely didn’t have the best handling car the beginning of the race,” Hamlin told NBCSN in victory lane. “We got it better there at the end. I actually was hating it that that caution came out because I thought I could run down (Harvick). We made it a little more exciting.”
The victory is the second of the year for Hamlin and the 17th of his Xfinity career. The race went 148 laps, one more than scheduled.
Kevin Harvick had been leading in the closing laps until Dakoda Armstrong spun with 10 laps to go in the original distance. That set up pit stops where Harvick lost the lead to Logano, who led a race-high 58 laps.
The overtime finish was set up by a crash involving Elliott Sadler on the ensuing restart.
“It would have been more fun if the caution didn’t come out, that would have been more fun for me,” Logano told NBCSN. “Denny had a great restart, went through the gearbox and motored me down into Turn 1 and had position on me. ... (On the last lap) was able to get underneath him off of Turn 2. He knew my play. I knew what his play was going to be as soon as the spotter yelled ‘clear.’ I thought ‘that’s way too early in the corner to be clear.’ ”
Completing the top five were Harvick, Erik Jones and William Byron.
STAGE 1 WINNER: Kevin Harvick
STAGE 2 WINNER: Kevin Harvick
WHO HAD A GOOD DAY: Harvick led 54 laps before losing the lead during pit stops following Armstrong’s caution. His finish is his best at Darlington in 15 starts ... Byron finished fifth in his first Darlington start after bouncing back from having to pit a second time under yellow on Lap 94 for a loose lug nut ... Brandon Brown finished 20th in his first Darlington start after running in the top 15 for much of the race ... Jeremy Clements finished 21st in the first race since wining at Road America.
WHO HAD A BAD DAY: Matt Tifft spun and crashed into the inside wall as the field completed Lap 1 after he made contact with Ross Chastain. He finished last with his second DNF of the season ... Spencer Gallagher spun on Lap 99 after being tapped from behind by Ben Kennedy. He finished 34th ... Elliott Sadler, the defending race winner, was in the top five all day until he hit the outside wall on the frontstretch with five to go in the original distance after being turned by Erik Jones. It resulted in his third DNF of the year. He finished 33rd.
NOTABLE: Cole Custer, Daniel Hemric and Brennan Poole all clinched a spot in the playoffs on point. ... Hamlin’s five wins breaks a tie with Jeff Burton and Harry Gant for second most at Darlington. Mark Martin has eight.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I was six, seven, eight car lengths ahead and that’s when you pray for no caution and then you see in the mirror there’s just smoke and everything. I’m like, ‘Please, don’t hit that hard.’” - Joey Logano on the caution the set of the overtime finish.
WHAT’S NEXT: Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond Raceway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 8 on NBCSN.