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Everyone in the Round of 12 wants to win at Dover, the next week is the unpredictability of Talladega. As a driver who flipped on the last lap earlier this year at Talladega, Kyle Larson is relieved that he was the one in victory lane at the end of the Drydene 400. 

Denny Hamlin started on the pole for Dover’s 100th Cup race in his 500th start and issues began for playoff hopefuls before the green even waved. Joey Logano had to immediately pull into the garage for an axle issue; one that would put him over twenty laps down and hurting in points. It wouldn’t be long into the green though until more issues arrived as Chase Elliott’s motor blew up just ten laps into the race and was forced to call it a day. During the ten-lap run, second place starter Larson was able to get to the lead but lost the lead back to Hamlin on the restart. Larson began to catch back up to Hamlin but whenever Hamlin got free of the lapped traffic, he was gone and began to pull away again. Green flag stop began and cycled out as Hamlin kept the lead on his way to the stage one win.

With no major changes off of pit road aside from a Kyle Busch speeding penalty; Hamlin was able to cruise away to a hefty lead. The top 5 constantly got bunched up as lap traffic began to hold them up but Hamlin was able to maneuver his way through and keep the lead. Green flag stops began again and, aside from the William Byron speeding penalty, there were no major changes as Hamlin kept the lead. Martin Truex Jr. caught Hamlin multiple times but couldn’t by him until after Hamlin got stuck behind Logano; also allowing Larson to get second. Truex cleared the group behind and went on to pick up the stage two win.

Larson won off pit road as Truex fell to sixth when a crew member slipped up. Larson checked out on the restart and left the others behind in a hurry while Ryan Blaney, having the quiet but consistent day he needed, had to go to the garage with a brake issue and would finish thirty-fifth and twenty-two points out of playoff advancement. After another round of green-flag stops, Larson kept the lead and started to pull away more. Larson would have two scares as he caught the lapped cars and got held up enough for Truex to gain a full four seconds on him and when Landon Cassill ran out of fuel with less than ten to go and slowed on the track. Cassill was able to pull on to pit road to avoid a caution, which would allow Larson to continue on to the win; His first in over two years.