Martinsville winner Denny Hamlin spotted signing autographs for fans after the race

NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 - Source: Getty
Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota, signs autographs for fans on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2024 - Source: Getty

Denny Hamlin took his time signing autographs after winning Sunday’s (March 30) Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway. The victory was his first of 2025 and 55th all-time, tying him with NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 11th on all-time wins.

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It was also Hamlin’s sixth win at the Virginian paper clip. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver entered the Cook Out 400 fifth and grabbed the lead for the first time on lap 126. He pulled away towards the end of the final 75-lap green-flag run, holding off teammate and polesitter Christopher Bell by 4.617 seconds.

Denny Hamlin is now in the playoffs and the second driver from the Toyota camp to qualify for the postseason. Journalist Davey Segal spotted him signing the last few autographs for his fans before leaving Martinsville. He took to X and wrote,

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“Still signing for some fans on the way out is race winner @dennyhamlin. #NASCAR”
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The triumph was also Hamlin’s first with crew chief Chris Gayle atop the pit box. Gayle joined the No. 11 JGR team after ex-crew chief Chris Gabehart got promoted to Director of Competition ahead of the 2025 season.

“You know, Chris Gayle, all the engineers, the pit crew, everybody really on that wall right there, just deciding they were going to come here with a different approach than what we’ve been over the last few years,” said Hamlin, after winning at the 0.526-mile short track for the first time with the Next Gen car.
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“It was just amazing. The car was great. It did everything I needed it to do. Just so happy to win with Chris,” he added.

Next for the Tampa, Florida native is the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Scheduled for April 6, the 293-lap feature will stream live on Fox Sports 1 with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 3 pm ET onwards. It will mark Hamlin’s 26th start at the “Lady in Black”.

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Denny Hamlin owned team's driver leaves Martinsville with a top-five finish

NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace logged his second straight top-five performance of the season at Martinsville. Wheeling the No. 23 full time for 23XI Racing, which Denny Hamlin co-owns, the Alabama native has amassed three top-10 finishes through seven starts this year.

Happy with his latest run, Wallace told FOX,

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“A good day, nonetheless. Just trying to scratch my head on what I could have done different. Restarts were terrible and one of my best straights. Need to go back and study that, but what a great day. Continuing to rebound from the start of our season.”
“Super proud of our group here on the 23 team. McDonald’s Toyota Camry was fast all weekend.”

Bubba Wallace is in his fifth year driving for Hamlin’s Cup Series team. Sitting eighth in the driver standings, the 31-year-old is vying for his maiden win of the season, also his first since 2023, the last time he qualified for the playoffs.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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