At the racetrack that dashed his championship hopes in 2010, Denny Hamlin found redemption in Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
In his second race with 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup championship crew chief Darian Grubb on his pit box, Hamlin held off Kevin Harvick in a 53-lap green-flag run to finish the 312-lap race at the one-mile track. Hamlin took over the series points lead for the first time since surrendering it in the final race of 2010 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Harvick lost fuel pressure with fewer than two laps left but had enough to retain the second position, 7.315 seconds behind the race winner.
Greg Biffle came home third, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, pole-sitter Mark Martin and Joey Logano completed the top 10.
Hamlin surged into the lead after a restart on Lap 254, passing Harvick and pulling away. Ryan Newman's hard contact with the Turn 4 wall two laps later caused the seventh caution of the afternoon, but Hamlin again stretched his advantage over Harvick after a restart on Lap 260 and held on the rest of the way.
Here are the full results from today's NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway:
- Denny Hamlin
- Kevin Harvick
- Greg Biffle
- Jimmie Johnson
- Brad Keselowski
- Kyle Busch
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Jeff Gordon
- Mark Martin
- Joey Logano
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Aric Almirola
- Matt Kenseth
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Kurt Busch
- Bobby Labonte
- Carl Edwards
- AJ Allmendinger
- Travis Kvapil
- Regan Smith
- Ryan Newman
- Tony Stewart
- Dave Blaney
- Mike Bliss
- David Ragan
- JJ Yeley
- Brendan Gaughan
- David Gilliland
- David Stremme
- Clint Bowyer
- Paul Menard
- Marcos Ambrose
- Jeff Burton
- Kasey Kahne
- Landon Cassill
- David Reutimann
- Jamie McMurray
- Josh Wise
- Casey Mears
- Joe Nemechek
- Robby Gordon
- Scott Riggs
- Michael McDowell