Denny Hamlin Finally Wins His Charity Race, Chase Elliott Finishes Third At Richmond

RICHMOND, VA – A thunderstorm kept the crowd down for Denny Hamlin’s charity race, but the host put an exciting move on Kyle Busch on the final lap and finally won his own race.

Busch had dominated all night, but when the race went back to green after a caution with three laps to go, Hamlin surged from fourth to second right away, stalked his teammate with Joe Gibbs Racing and passed him on the backstretch when Busch ran out of fuel.

Michael Waltrip was second, followed by 15-year-old Chase Elliott, who started the race in 22nd. “I think we could have battled (Hamlin) for the win,” said Elliott. “I followed Denny all the way up through the field. I thought it was a pretty fun time.”

Chase is the son of 1988 Cup Champion Bill Elliott, who also was in the race, filling in for Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne. Bayne has been hospitalized and is undergoing tests for symptoms related to the insect bite he sustained earlier this month.

The victory was the first for Hamlin in his fourth Short Track Showdown, and came after he qualified on the pole, then opted to start at the back of the 36-car field.