Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 66th Annual STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway

2015 Mar 29 Martinsville_032915_CheckeredCredit: 307588Nick Laham/NASCAR via Getty Images. Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

Starting from 15th place Car 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota won the 66th Annual STP 500, his 25th victory in 332 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. This is Hamlin’s 1st win & 3rd Top 10 finish in 2015. This is his 5th win & 15th Top 10 finish in 19 races at Martinsville Speedway. Hamlin has tied NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Weatherly for the most NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins by a Virginia native. 2nd Place Car 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford started from 12th place posted his 6th Top 10 finish in 11 races at Martinsville Speedway. It is his 5th Top 10 finish in 2015. 3rd Place Car 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford started from pole posted his 5th Top 10 finish in 13 races at Martinsville Speedway.

STP 500Credit: 307590Nick Laham/NASCAR via Getty Images. Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

4th Place Car 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota started from 8th place followed by 5th Place Car 18 David Ragan M&M’s Crispy Toyota started from 20th place. 6th Place Car 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet started from 3rd place. 7th Place Car 10 Danica Patrick TaxAct Chevrolet 16th place is the best by a female at Martinsville Speedway. It ties her 2nd best career finish. She posted her 5th career Top 10 finish to tie Janet Guthrie for the most by a female in the NASCAR. 8th Place Car 4 Kevin Harvick udwBeiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet started from 17th place who lost his streak for Top 2 in the last 8 races. 9th lPace Car 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta Chevrolet started from 4th place, came back from a pit lane speeding penalty. Lastly in the Top 10 was Car 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet in 10th place, started from 19th place.

2015 Mar 29 Martinsville_032915_RickyStenhouseCredit: 307585Jeff Zelevansky/NASCAR via Getty Images. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., driver of the #17 Fastenal Ford, is involved in an on-track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

The race had lots of action with 16 Cautions for 112 Laps but again this was Martinsville. 1st Caution on lap 12 for Car 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford Spin in Turn 2. 2nd Caution on lap 23 for Car 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford Spin in Turn 4. 3rd Caution on lap 55 for Car 23 JJ Yeley American Cancer Society Toyota Spin in Turn 1. 4th Caution on lap 74 for Debris in Turn 3. 5th Caution on lap 95 for Car 33 Alex Kennedy Dream Factory Chevrolet Spin in Turn 4. 6th Caution on lap 165 for Car 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford Spin in Turn 4. 7th Caution on lap 184 for Debris in Turn 4. 8th Caution on lap 207 for Car 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford crash in Turn 3. 9th Caution on lap 220 for Car 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford & Car 46 Michael Annett Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet Spin in Turn 2. 10th Caution on lap 229 for Car 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Medallion Bank/Mercury Marine Ford, Car 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet, Car 18 David Ragan M&M’s Crispy Toyota, Car 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet, Car 35 Cole Whitt Ford, Car 51 Justin Allgaier Fraternal Order of Eagles/Switch Hitch Chevrolet, Car 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet crash in Turn 2. 11th Caution on lap 270 for Car 51 Justin Allgaier Fraternal Order of Eagles/Switch Hitch Chevrolet crash in Turn 4. 12th Caution on lap 287 for Car 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford, Car 10 Danica Patrick TaxAct Chevrolet, Car 31 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevrolet, Car 42 Regan Smith(i) Target Chevrolet, Car 46 Michael Annett Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet crash in Turn 3. 13th Caution on lap 357 for Car 46 Michael Annett Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet crash in Turn 1. 14th Caution on lap 368 for Car 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford, Car 16 Greg Biffle Ortho Ford, Car 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford, Car 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet, Car 43 Aric Almirola STP Ford, Car 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet crash in Turn 4. 15th Caution on lap 434 for Car 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota Spin in Turn 4. 16th Caution on lap 461 for Debris on the frontstretch.

STP 500Credit: 307591Rob Carr/Getty Images. Paul Menard, driver of the #27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet, Aric Almirola, driver of the #43 STP Ford, Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Ortho Ford, Trevor Bayne, driver of the #6 AdvoCare Ford, and Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, are involved in an on-track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

The race also had a lot of action up front 31 Lead Changes among 13 drivers: J. Logano 1-16; R. Newman 17-18; J. Logano 19-56; M. Bliss(i) 57; J. Logano 58-96; M. Truex Jr. 97-119; J. Logano 120-133; K.Harvick 134-147; D. Hamlin 148-164; B. Keselowski 165; K. Harvick 166-170; B. Keselowski 171-172; K. Harvick 173; K. Busch 174-194; K. Harvick 195-207; J. Logano 208; K. Kahne 209-237; K. Harvick 238-270; B. Keselowski 271; C. Edwards 272-284; K. Harvick 285-301; B. Keselowski 302-315; D.Hamlin 316-326; K. Harvick 327-357; M. Kenseth 358; K. Harvick 359-398; D. Hamlin 399-433; M. Kenseth 434-441; J. Gordon 442-462; T. Stewart 463-470; M. Kenseth 471-472; D. Hamlin 473-500.

STP 500Credit: 307595Rainier Ehrhardt/NASCAR via Getty Images. Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

Lap Leaders: Position, Car #, Driver, Times & Laps: 1. Car 4, K. Harvick 8, 154. 2. Car 22, J. Logano 5, 108. 3. Car 11, D. Hamlin 4, 91. 4. Car 5, K. Kahne 1, 29. 5. Car 78, M. Truex Jr. 1, 23. 6. Car 41, K. Busch 1, 21. 7. Car 24, J. Gordon 1, 21. 8. Car 2, B. Keselowski 4, 18. 9. Car 19, C. Edwards 1, 13. 10. Car 20, M. Kenseth 3, 11. 11. Car 14, T. Stewart 1, 8. 12. Car 31, R. Newman 1, 2. 13. Car 32, M. Bliss 1,1.

STP 500Credit: 307586Jeff Zelevansky/NASCAR via Getty Images. Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet, leads a pack of cars during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

Chase Grid Outlook: 1.K. Harvick 263 (2 wins);2.J. Logano 239 (1);3.B. Keselowski 206 (1);4.D. Hamlin 172 (1);5.J. Johnson 168 (1);6.M. Truex Jr. 231 (0);7.K. Kahne 193 (0);8.R. Newman 180 (0);9.P. Menard 173 (0);10.D. Earnhardt Jr. 172 (0);11.A. Almirola 170 (0);12.M. Kenseth 168 (0);13.D. Ragan 163 (0);14.C. Mears 161 (0);15.J. Mcmurray 154 (0);16.D. Patrick 148 (0).

STP 500Credit: 307583Nick Laham/NASCAR via Getty Images. Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Ryan Newman, driver of the #31 Quicken Loans Chevrolet, lead the field to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

Car 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota took the lead on the lap 473 then fought Car 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford for the win 526-mile short track. Car 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta Chevrolet came back from a pit lane speeding penalty to finish in 9th place. Jeff Gordon stated “I’ll take the blame for speeding on pit road. Didn’t feel I was pushing it, but obviously I was wrong. Great race car especially at the end.”

STP 500Credit: 307598Nick Laham/NASCAR via Getty Images. A general view of cars racing during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

Kevin Harvick ran eighth and saw his streak of consecutive top-two finishes end at eight. Harvick retained the series lead by 24 points over Logano.

STP 500Credit: 307581Daniel Shirey/Getty Images. Crew members work on the #25 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, driven by Chase Elliott, after being involved in an on-track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway on March 29, 2015 in Martinsville, Virginia.

UNOFFICIAL Race Results Martinsville Speedway 66th Annual STP 500
UNOFFICIAL Provided by NASCAR Statistics Sunday, 3/29/2015 @ 5:13 PM Eastern

2015 Mar 29 STP 500 C

Finishing Position Starting Position Car # Driver Team Laps Status
1. 15. Car 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota 500 Running
2. 12. Car 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 500 Running
3. 1. Car 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 500 Running
4. 8. Car 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 500 Running
5. 20. Car 18 David Ragan M&M’s Crispy Toyota 500 Running
6. 3. Car 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 500 Running
7. 16. Car 10 Danica Patrick TaxAct Chevrolet 500 Running
8. 17. Car 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet 500 Running
9. 4. Car 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta Chevrolet 500 Running
10. 19. Car 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 500 Running
11. 9. Car 5 Kasey Kahne Farmer’s Insurance Chevrolet 500 Running
12. 18. Car 43 Aric Almirola STP Ford 500 Running
13. 30. Car 15 Clint Bowyer 5-Hour Energy Toyota 500 Running
14. 26. Car 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 500 Running
15. 24. Car 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 500 Running
16. 7. Car 42 Regan Smith(i) Target Chevrolet 500 Running Klye Larson fainted Saturday
17. 11. Car 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 500 Running
18. 36. Car 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 500 Running
19. 25. Car 16 Greg Biffle Ortho Ford 500 Running
20. 6. Car 14 Tony Stewart Code 3 Associates/Mobil 1 Chevrolet 500 Running
21. 34. Car 40 Landon Cassill(i) Newtown Building Supplies Chevrolet 500 Running
22. 37. Car 35 Cole Whitt Ford 499 Running
23. 13. Car 27 Paul Menard Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet 499 Running
24. 35. Car 34 Chris Buescher(i) A&W All American Food Ford 499 Running
25. 29. Car 38 David Gilliland Love’s Travel Stops Ford 499 Running
26. 42. Car 23 JJ Yeley(i) American Cancer Society Toyota 497 Running
27. 2. Car 31 Ryan Newman Quicken Loans Chevrolet 496 Running
28. 33. Car 55 Brett Moffitt # Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota 496 Running
29. 32. Car 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim.com Toyota 495 Running
30. 31. Car 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Ford 495 Running
31. 43. Car 83 Matt DiBenedetto Dr. Pepper Toyota 494 Running
32. 38. Car 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Medallion Bank/Mercury Marine Ford 493 Running
33. 41. Car 33 Alex Kennedy # Dream Factory Chevrolet 492 Running
34. 40. Car 32 Mike Bliss(i) CorvetteParts.net Ford 491 Running
35. 5. Car 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet 468 Running
36. 14. Car 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet 453 Running
37. 39. Car 7 Alex Bowman Nikko RC/Toy State Car Chevrolet 444 Running
38. 27. Car 25 Chase Elliott(i) NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet 427 Running
39. 28. Car 46 Michael Annett Pilot/Flying J Chevrolet 389 Running
40. 23. Car 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Fastenal Ford 364 Running
41. 22. Car 3 Austin Dillon Cheerios Chevrolet 330 Electrical
42. 21. Car 51 Justin Allgaier Fraternal Order of Eagles/Switch Hitch Chevrolet 328 Running
43. 10. Car 47 AJ Allmendinger Bush’s Beans Chevrolet 177 Oil Leak

# = Rookie, (i) Ineligible

2015 Mar 27 Martinsville-Speedway-Dark

Failed to Qualify: (2) 62 Brendan Gaughan(i), 30 Ron Hornaday Jr.. Average Speed: 68.843 MPH Time of Race: 03 Hrs, 49 Mins, 13 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.186 Seconds.

Next Race: Apr. 11, 2015 – Texas Motor Speedway

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series.html

Graphics & Photos Courtesy of NASCAR

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