Hamlin, the Chesterfield, Virginia, native, took home his sixth grandfather clock trophy after leading 274 of the final 275 laps. It was his 55th career Cup victory, tying him for 11th all-time with NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace.

“(To) get 55 was awesome,” Hamlin told Fox Sports reporter Jamie Little. “It was just amazing, the car was great, it did everything I needed it to do.”

This was Hamlin’s first win working with new crew chief Chris Gayle. 

“He's been such a soldier to come in here to this 11 team and kind of learn our style,” Hamlin said. “It's really been a great mesh.” 

Hamlin moved to sixth on the all-time Martinsville wins list, eclipsing the mark of 2,700 laps led.

Hamlin said he cherishes racing at Martinsville, a track where he spent years running late models during the early days of his career. 

“Gosh, I love winning here,” Hamlin said.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver climbed to sixth in Cup points with the win. Hamlin’s teammate Christopher Bell finished second after starting on pole and moved to fourth in the standings.

“That last run, I just went a little bit too loose and lost my drive off,” Bell told Regan Smith after the race. “Hopefully we can come back a little bit better in the fall and be able to have a nice, solid day like we did today.”

It was a rebound for Bell, who strung together two consecutive races outside the Top 10. 

“Happy to kind of get back up front, (the) last two weeks have been rough for this 20 team,” Bell said.

Bubba Wallace was third when the checkered flag flew, scoring his second top-five finish of 2025. He fell back a spot in the standings by virtue of Hamlin’s win but remains Top 10 in points.

Wallace said he felt his final restart allowed Bell to get away with second place, but was still proud of the effort. 

“I don't know if I had anything for Denny, but it would’ve been fun to try,” Wallace said.

Now, NASCAR will honor the past at Darlington Speedway on April 6 for the annual throwback weekend. Teams have the option to run special paint schemes that reflect the sport’s rich history.

Goodyear is the title sponsor for 400 miles or 293 laps around the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. Coverage begins at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, with radio coverage on the Motor Racing Network.