Sprint Unlimited: Danny Hamlin wins at Daytona

Denny Hamlin won a wreck-marred Sprint Unlimited Saturday night to deliver Joe Gibbs Racing its third straight victory and fourth in the past five years in the annual season-opening exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. And Denny Hamlin passed the test for the third time, winning Saturday night’s race ahead of Joey Logano.

Hamlin was automatically credited the win when a caution waved for a six-car crash midway through Turns 1 and 2 on the final lap in the first run of NASCAR’s new overtime procedure.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Matt Kenseth (20) leads the field during the Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway.

Afterward, he thanked rookie crew chief Mike Wheeler, who took a gamble on fuel mileage earlier in the race. But the exhibition race serves as a test for many drivers and teams for the Daytona 500. Hamlin was in a tight spot as the field was brought back to close confines due to a caution as the race came to an end. It wasn’t anyone’s fault we just cut a tire.

However, he made his sports auto debut in 2012, in three races with the jointly entered AF Corse-Waltrip entry into the inaugural season of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Stewart, 0 for 17 in the Daytona 500, was hurt riding an all-terrain vehicle in the desert in California last week.

“It didn’t really come into play because we took the white flag under green, which was the same under the old format”, Logano said of the new overtime rule.

They didn’t use their 500 cars, but their back-ups or similar racing machines, offering them a chance to shake off the offseason rust.

Hamlin last pitted on lap 22 of the race that was scheduled for 75 laps but went into extra laps because of a sixth caution with three laps remaining due to a multiple-car crash involving Carl Edwards, Busch, Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Mears and Austin Dillon. “Typically in the Unlimited, there a lot of crashes”. “Hopefully I didn’t use up all my luck before next Sunday”.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., always a favorite at Daytona and victor of July’s race here, was involved in an early accident and finished four laps down. It’s a good one to win.