Denny Hamlin spent much of last night chasing after Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch at Southside Speedway.
Busch, assuming the lead on Lap 11 when pole-sitter Chris Dodson suffered mechanical failure, led the final 165 laps to win this charity event for the second year in a row. And while Hamlin, a Manchester High School graduate, couldn’t pull ahead of Busch, his foundation may have finished ahead of expectations during his Short Track Showdown, which benefits the Denny Hamlin Foundation. “It was a great night, and we doubled what we did last year,” Hamlin said. “It shows what great fans there are here.” Hamlin may have exceeded his goal of raising $100,000 — twice as much as the foundation earned in the inaugural showdown last year. The foundation received 100 percent of the gate receipts. “To have this during our 50th anniversary is a blessing,” said track spokesperson Jennifer Mullis. “We’ll probably break even, but we’re always glad to have Denny back at the racetrack.” Hamlin highlighted an all-star charity event that included JGR Sprint Cup rookie Joey Logano, two-time Cup champion Tony Stewart and 1983 Cup champion Bobby Allison, who served as grand marshal.
There wasn’t an empty seat in the 5,500-seat, one-third mile racetrack. The fans lined up along the walls to watch Busch and Hamlin battle it out for the second year in a row.