Denny Hamlin Wins Second of the Can-Am Duels at Daytona International Speedway
- 27 Feb 2017
“Yeah, it was definitely a tough race for us. The reason it was so tough for us, a lot of guys were content to run in single file for most of the race,” Hamlin said. “We obviously were trying to buck that trend for most of the race by going to the bottom. We'd get hung out. I was just trying to make it interesting for the most part because I knew I wasn't going to get back up in line.” Hamlin led twice for four laps of the 60-lap race. He got a huge boost in the second to last lap as he moved past race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hamlin was asked after the race if he has any regrets about passing Earnhardt Jr. and winning the race.
Earnhardt Jr. led three times for a total of 53 laps before losing his lead and the win. The win would have been important for him because he has not raced for seven months. He finished in sixth place and will start on the front row for the upcoming Daytona 500 on Sunday.
Clint Bowyer came in second place and did not lead during the race. “That was my first crack at-bat,” Bowyer said. “We didn't have drafting practice or the Clash or anything. So there were some gremlins in there that I want to work on that will help me smooth in and be a little bit better in the 500, be a little bit more comfortable.” Kurt Busch finished in third place. The second of the two races went smoothly. There were two caution periods, one a scheduled competition caution, for eight laps. Jimmie Johnson crashed into the turn 3 wall on lap 48. | ||||
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