It took patience, power, and perfect timing for Denny Hamlin to lock down his fourth win of 2025 at Dover Motor Speedway. On a rain-affected afternoon filled with strategy gambles and playoff shifts, Hamlin held off teammate Chase Briscoe in a double-overtime finish to seal victory in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400. With stage battles, pit cycles, and title implications everywhere, the full finishing order from Race 21 of the season tells more than just who stood atop the podium.
Key Highlights
Denny Hamlin secures back-to-back wins at Dover and his 58th career Cup Series victory.
Chase Briscoe finishes second on fresher tires but fails to pass Hamlin in final laps.
Chase Elliott leads most laps (238) but finishes sixth, takes points lead from Byron.
Gibbs and Ty Dillon advance to $1M In-Season Challenge finale at Indianapolis.
Complete finishing order includes 37 drivers, with several DNFs including Byron and Chastain.
Denny Hamlin Masters Concrete Chaos
Veteran Denny Hamlin once again conquered Dover’s concrete mile, this time surviving a rain delay, two overtime restarts, and direct pressure from his newest Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Hamlin led the final 67 laps, including both overtime green-white-checkered attempts, to win the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 and earn his fourth Cup Series win of the 2025 season.
“Things were going pretty well there before the rain and then obviously had to endure a few restarts there… Winning here at Dover is super special to me.” – Denny Hamlin
Briscoe, running on fresher tires, came within inches of clearing Hamlin during the final restart, but couldn’t quite get the pass completed. Their battle featured door-to-door action, minor contact, and a dramatic last-lap attempt that Hamlin defused with precise corner exits and veteran pace. Briscoe, gracious in defeat, acknowledged the team-first mindset.
“Obviously racing a teammate, I wanted to make sure at least a JGR car won… Glad we were able to make a good finish out of it.” – Chase Briscoe
Alex Bowman and Kyle Larson took third and fourth respectively, with Ty Gibbs fifth. Elliott, despite leading over half the race, crossed the line sixth after pit strategy cycled him behind.
Full Race Results: AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400
Fin | Driver | Diff |
---|---|---|
1 | Denny Hamlin | — |
2 | Chase Briscoe | 0.310 |
3 | Alex Bowman | 0.409 |
4 | Kyle Larson | 0.667 |
5 | Ty Gibbs | 1.465 |
6 | Chase Elliott | 1.497 |
7 | Bubba Wallace | 1.655 |
8 | Ryan Blaney | 1.824 |
9 | Chris Buescher | 2.006 |
10 | Brad Keselowski | 2.223 |
11 | Kyle Busch | 2.282 |
12 | Tyler Reddick | 2.537 |
13 | Michael McDowell | 2.746 |
14 | Joey Logano | 2.812 |
15 | Austin Dillon | 2.886 |
16 | Austin Cindric | 3.135 |
17 | Justin Haley | 3.156 |
18 | Christopher Bell | 3.280 |
19 | Ryan Preece | 4.064 |
20 | Ty Dillon | 5.992 |
21 | John Hunter Nemechek | 1 lap |
22 | Zane Smith | 1 lap |
23 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 2 laps |
24 | Riley Herbst | 2 laps |
25 | Todd Gilliland | 2 laps |
26 | Daniel Suarez | 3 laps |
27 | Erik Jones | 3 laps |
28 | Josh Berry | 3 laps |
29 | Cole Custer | 4 laps |
30 | Shane van Gisbergen | 7 laps |
31 | William Byron | Out |
32 | Noah Gragson | Out |
33 | Ross Chastain | Out |
34 | JJ Yeley | Out |
35 | Carson Hocevar | Out |
36 | Cody Ware | Out |
37 | AJ Allmendinger | Out |
Points Battle and Playoff Picture Shift
Elliott’s strong sixth-place run combined with Byron’s crash with two laps remaining vaulted the 2020 champion into the overall points lead. With just five races remaining in the regular season, Elliott now holds a 17-point advantage over Byron. The win didn’t just benefit Hamlin—it had ripple effects across the standings and playoff grid.
The race also impacted the cutline: Bubba Wallace’s seventh-place finish gave him a 16-point cushion over Ryan Preece for the 16th and final playoff position. Meanwhile, Kyle Busch sits 39 points behind Wallace despite a solid 11th-place run.
The In-Season Challenge also reached its climax. Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon both advanced to the $1 million finale at Indianapolis. Dillon, seeded last, made the final by outlasting Nemechek and finishing 20th as the final driver on the lead lap.
“All respect to John Hunter. We ran next to each other all day… this is one of the greatest things to happen in my career.” – Ty Dillon
Gibbs edged out Reddick in a similarly tight contest. The final at Indianapolis now promises a high-stakes showdown between two very different drivers and paths.
News in Brief: Full 2025 Dover Cup Race Results and Highlights
Denny Hamlin took victory in the NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover, surviving rain delays and overtime restarts to edge out teammate Chase Briscoe. Elliott led 238 laps but finished sixth, taking over the points lead. Gibbs and Dillon advanced to the In-Season Challenge finale. Full results saw Hamlin, Briscoe, Bowman, Larson, and Gibbs in the top five, with several big names crashing out. Wallace moved closer to a playoff spot.
ALSO READ: Qualifying Order Set for 2025 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. Who won NASCAR Dover in 2025?
A. Denny Hamlin edges out Chase Briscoe in double overtime to win thrilling Dover NASCAR race.