Something unusual happened at Dover Motor Speedway, and it has only occurred three other times in the Modern Era. Two powerhouse teams split the top six spots in the finishing order, shutting out the rest of the field and placing all of their strongest drivers up front. It wasn’t a win for just one organization—it was a statement made by both. But this kind of dominance hasn’t been seen often.
Key Highlights
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Denny Hamlin won the race at Dover Motor Speedway on July 25, 2025.
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Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports combined to take the top six spots.
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This marks just the fourth time in the Modern Era two teams have swept the top six.
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Previous team-sweep races: Las Vegas 1998, Kentucky 2015, Watkins Glen 2021.
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Hamlin was followed by Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Elliott.
Dover 2025: How the Sweep Happened
Denny Hamlin led the charge with a clean, controlled performance in the final stage, holding off Chase Briscoe by just 0.31 seconds. Behind them, the rest of the top six read like a roll call from NASCAR’s two most decorated modern organizations.
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Joe Gibbs Racing: Hamlin (1st), Gibbs (5th), Bell (18th)
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Hendrick Motorsports: Briscoe (2nd), Bowman (3rd), Larson (4th), Elliott (6th), Byron (31st, DNF)
Ty Gibbs showed solid long-run pace late, passing Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace to help secure the split sweep. Chase Elliott ran a consistent and methodical race, climbing to sixth by the checkered flag after starting mid-pack.
Both teams avoided major pit road errors and stayed ahead of the chaos that took out William Byron, Ross Chastain, and Noah Gragson—all contenders on paper. Clean execution, car speed, and timely strategy combined to produce the rarest kind of domination in a modern Cup Series field.
Fourth Time in the Modern Era: Historical Context
This level of team control has been nearly impossible in the era of parity, charter systems, and multiple manufacturers. But Dover 2025 joined elite company as the fourth race in the Modern Era (1972–present) where only two organizations filled the top six positions:
- Las Vegas – March 1998
Roush Racing dominated with five drivers in the top 10, led by Mark Martin. - Kentucky – July 2015
JGR took four of the top six (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th), while Penske grabbed 2nd and 6th. - Watkins Glen – August 2021
All top-seven finishers were from Hendrick Motorsports or Joe Gibbs Racing. - Dover – July 25, 2025
Three drivers each from JGR and Hendrick filled out the top six in order.
The 2025 event stands out not just for the result, but for the track type. Dover’s concrete oval, with tight banking and limited passing zones, usually produces mixed outcomes with attrition and restarts shaping the order. This time, the cream clearly rose and stayed at the top.
Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports swept the top-6 finishing positions at Dover.
This was only the 4th time in the Modern Era two teams swept the top-6 positions in a race:
Dover – 7/25
Watkins Glen – 8/21 (top 7)
Kentucky – 7/15
Las Vegas – 3/98 pic.twitter.com/ysnwfnlrDa— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) July 21, 2025
Other Drivers’ Finishes
Behind the top six, the next highest finisher was Bubba Wallace in seventh for 23XI Racing, followed by Ryan Blaney and Chris Buescher. The next Team Penske driver, Joey Logano, finished 14th. Both RFK Racing entries landed just inside the top 10 but had no real shot at breaking up the top group late.
| Fin | Driver | Diff |
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | — |
| 2 | Chase Briscoe | 0.31 |
| 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 | 3.28 |
| 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 |
Christopher Bell finished 18th after fading in the final stage, the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver outside the top five. Meanwhile, William Byron, the fifth Hendrick entry, suffered a mechanical failure and failed to finish.
Drivers like Tyler Reddick, Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski had pace but couldn’t break through the team blocks that formed up front. The combined firepower of Gibbs and Hendrick, across manufacturer lines, proved too much for the rest of the garage.
News in Brief: Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports Makes History
The 2025 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway became a part of NASCAR history as Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports locked out the top six finishing spots—only the fourth such team sweep in the Modern Era. Denny Hamlin scored the win, while teammates and Chevrolet rivals followed in tight formation. The result is a statistical rarity and a strategic milestone for two of the most dominant organizations in modern NASCAR. Parity may define the era, but at Dover, the powerhouse teams reminded the field who’s still in charge.
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