Denny Hamlin knocks NASCAR Cup Series rival's car after last-gasp win

NASCAR Cup Series Darlington winner Denny Hamlin has admitted that he didn't have the best car for the race he stole out from under his rivals' noses.

Hamlin went back-to-back despite barely leading a single lap, with one great pitstop and exit off pit road putting him in position to take the chequered flag.

William Byron in the #24 car had led the first 243 laps of the 293-lap race, taking the first two stages and more than doubling the track record for laps led consecutively from the start of a Cup Series event.

However, Byron's green flag pitstop with 50 laps to go dropped him slightly but significantly down the order, leading space for Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney and Hamlin to challenge him for the win.

Hamlin: I didn't have the best car at Darlington...nor did Byron

Speaking after the race on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin admitted: "I saw that the No. 12 was having issues on pit road throughout the day. I mean, I thought that, truthfully, he had the best car.

"It's hard to say, considering [Blaney] led very few [laps] compared to the No. 24. But I think the No. 24 leading that whole race - it wasn't fake news, but it was like, 'Yeah, just put them behind someone and let's see what happens'.

"You could just see that the No. 12 was really able to make passes that others couldn't. So, I thought he had the best car.

"He never had the track position, because it seemed like he would lose spots on pit road. Certainly, that was a hindrance for that team, and it was ultimately kind of a deciding factor there."

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