Denny Hamlin Ends 10-year Win Drought At Martinsville Speedway

At the track he loves to dominate, Denny Hamlin was back on top with a new face atop his pit box.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star ended an agonizing 10-year winless streak at Martinsville Speedway, holding off teammate Christopher Bell in his home state to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Hamlin, who was raised a few hours away in the Richmond suburb of Chesterfield, leads active Cup drivers with six victories at Martinsville. But Sunday was his first checkered flag on the 0.526-mile oval in southwest Virginia since March 29, 2015, and also his first with crew chief Chris Gayle, who joined the No. 11 team this season.

Driving a Camry that "certainly felt like the old days" after the team overhauled its setup, Hamlin led a race-high 274 of the final laps after taking the lead from Chase Elliott.

With the 55th victory of his career tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 11th on the career list, the 44-year-old Hamlin also snapped a 31-race winless streak since last April at Dover.