Denny Hamlin holds off Larson late to win NASCAR Cup race at Dover Motor Speedway

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin called his shot ahead of Dover, guaranteeing a win on his podcast, then followed through on his bold boast that would have made the Bambino proud and held off Kyle Larson down the stretch to park his Toyota in victory lane.

Hamlin wiggled past lapped traffic and never let Larson squeak by him over the final laps in a showdown between two of NASCAR's elite drivers and won the Cup race by about a quarter of a second Sunday at Dover Motor Speedway.

“You better win if you're going to open your mouth, that's for sure,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin has the victory lane celebration down pat this season. He celebrated last week at Talladega Superspeedway in his role as co-owner of 23XI Racing when Tyler Reddick took the checkered flag. Hamlin's contribution was a bit overshadowed by his fellow team owner — Michael Jordan. For the first time since he became a NASCAR Cup team owner, Jordan was at the track to savor in person a victory by one of his drivers.

Hamlin took his turn in the spotlight this week with the Monster trophy as a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing at Dover.

“It is a little bit different when you win it yourself versus as a car owner,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin knew the win was coming. Or at least, publicly he was willing to say he did, going so far as to call his shot — he even referenced Babe Ruth on the podcast — that he would master the Monster Mile.

"I'm going to call it now. We're going to win Dover," Hamlin said last week on “Actions Detrimental.” "Got it?

Got it.

“Hopefully some listeners of ‘Actions Detrimental’ maybe cashed in today,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin led 136 of the 400 laps and won at Dover for the second time in his career.

Perhaps fittingly, the Babe wore No. 3 for the New York Yankees — and there was Hamlin and the rest of his No. 11 team flashing three fingers in tribute to the team's third win of the season.

Hamlin's three wins tie him with William Byron for most this season in the series. Hamlin also picked up his 54th career Cup win, all with Joe Gibbs Racing. He's tied with Lee Petty for 12th on the career Cup list.

“I couldn't hold Lee Petty's helmet," Hamlin said.

The tone for the season was set from the opener when Hamlin also won the Clash at the Coliseum exhibition race.

Larson finished second and nipped at Hamlin's bumper for most of the final 25 laps and seemed on the brink of passing the Toyota. Larson's No. 5 Chevrolet just couldn't close the deal on the mile concrete track. Hamlin took the lead off a restart with 81 laps left and never let it go, repeatedly choking off Larson's Chevy at the top of the track.

“I just couldn't really do anything,” Larson said. “Nothing could generate enough speed to get close enough to do anything.”

Hamlin was soundly booed as he grabbed the checkered flag — boos louder than usual at the track because of the surprisingly full grandstands.

After rainouts forced Monday races each of the last two years, the sun came out Sunday — and so did the fans. The grandstands were packed and the track came close to its 54,000 capacity. While NASCAR tracks do not release attendance numbers, the crowd was easily the largest at Dover since before the pandemic.

Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott completed the top five.

THE BIG ONE

There was a multi-car wreck with 71 laps left in the race that took out Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace and William Byron.

Coming off a restart, Zane Smith appeared to get into the left rear of Wallace's Toyota which sent him into traffic and into Byron and Bell. Wallace was running 11th at the time of the wreck. Bell was 16th and Byron 18th.

TRUEX CLOSE

A year after the Truex brothers swept Dover — Ryan Truex won the Xfinity race; Martin Truex the Cup race — they failed to repeat. Ryan Truex went back-to-back and won a second straight Xfinity race on Saturday. Martin Truex won the first stage of the race and led 69 laps before he suffered some damage to the nose of his Toyota.

“Feel like we let one get away today," Martin Truex said. “You can’t lose control of these races mid stage like that. The track changes, you get behind.”

ALL-STAR SUB

Kevin Harvick, the 2014 NASCAR champion who retired at the end of last season, will drive the No. 5 Chevrolet in place of Larson in practice and qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star race.

Larson will stay in Indianapolis on May 17 to practice for the Indianapolis 500 rather than travel to North Wilkesboro Speedway to practice and qualify for the NASCAR All-Star race. He will become the fifth driver in history to attempt to complete “ The Double ” and run 1,100 miles in one day, starting with the Indianapolis 500 in an Indy car and then flying to Charlotte to drive in the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race of the year.

UP NEXT

Kansas Speedway where Hamlin is the defending race winner.

“I'm not going to call my shot just yet,” Hamlin said, laughing.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Denny Hamlin celebrates with the checkered flag after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line to win a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

NASCAR Cup Series driver's Bubba Wallace (23) and Denny Hamlin (11) spin into the grass after a collision on the track during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Talladega. Ala. (AP Photo/Russell Norris)

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin's car is moved before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Talladega. Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin, front left, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Todd Gilliland (38) spins on the front stretch during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Kyle Busch (8) pits ahead of Austin Cindric (2) during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Kyle Busch leads the field to the green flag to start a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Martin Truex Jr. makes a pit stop during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Martin Truex Jr. and William Byron lead the field into Turn 1 on a restart during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

William Byron (24) leads the field into Turn 1 on a restart during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

TANAH DATAR, Indonesia (AP) — Rescuers on Tuesday searched in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible survivors, of flash floods that hit Indonesia’s Sumatra Island over the weekend.

Monsoon rains and a landslide of mud and cold lava from Mount Marapi caused rivers to breach their banks. The deluge tore through mountainside villages in four districts in West Sumatra province just before midnight Saturday.

The floods swept away people and 79 homes and submerged hundreds of houses and buildings, forcing more than 3,300 residents to flee to temporary government shelters, National Disaster Management Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said.

The National Search and Rescue Agency said in a statement that 52 bodies had been pulled from mud and rivers by Tuesday, mostly in the worst-hit Agam and Tanah Datar districts, while rescuers are searching for 20 people who are reportedly missing.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said that more downpours were forecast for the West Sumatra province in the coming days, and that the danger of extreme rainfall would continue until next week. The agency recommended the application of weather modification to reduce rain.

National Disaster Management Agency chief Suharyanto said that authorities would start seeding clouds in the province in a bid to prevent further rainfall and flash floods.

“We are deploying weather modification technology starting tomorrow so that rain does not fall during this emergency response period,” Suharyanto, who goes by a single name like many Indonesians, told reporters while visiting devastated areas in Agam district. He added that the emergency response will be ended on May 25.

Television reports showed rescue personnel using jackhammers, circular saws, farm tools and sometimes their bare hands, digging desperately in Agam district where roads were transformed into murky brown rivers and villages covered by thick mud, rocks, and uprooted trees.

Scores of rescue personnel were searching through a river around the Anai Valley Waterfall area in Tanah Datar district where tons of mud, rocks and trees were left from flash floods.

Rescuers were focused on finding four people from a group of seven that were swept away with their cars. Three other bodies were pulled out on Monday, said Abdul Malik, who heads the Search and Rescue Office in Padang, the provincial capital.

“With many missing and some remote areas still unreachable, the death toll was likely to rise,” Malik said.

Heavy rains cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands where millions of people live in mountainous areas or near floodplains.

The weekend disaster came just two months after heavy rains triggered flash floods and a landslide in West Sumatra, killing at least 26 people and leaving 11 others missing.

A surprise eruption of Mount Marapi late last year killed 23 climbers. The mountain’s sudden eruptions are difficult to predict because the source is shallow and near the peak, according to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

Marapi has been active since an eruption in January 2024 that caused no casualties. It is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. The country is prone to seismic upheaval because of its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin.

Associated Press writer Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia contributed to this report.

People inspect the damage by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra,Indonesia, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Rescuers on Tuesday searched in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible, survivors of flash floods that hit Indonesia's Sumatra Island over the weekend. (AP Photo/ Fachri Hamzah)

People inspect the damage by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Rescuers on Tuesday searched in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible, survivors of flash floods that hit Indonesia's Sumatra Island over the weekend. (AP Photo/Fachri Hamzah)

People inspect the damage by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Rescuers on Tuesday searched in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible, survivors of flash floods that hit Indonesia's Sumatra Island over the weekend. (AP Photo/Sutan Malik Kayo)

People inspect the damage by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra,Indonesia, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Rescuers on Tuesday searched in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible, survivors of flash floods that hit Indonesia's Sumatra Island over the weekend. (AP Photo/Sutan Malik Kayo)

This drone photo shows the damage at a village affected by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Rescuers on Tuesday searched in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible, survivors of flash floods that hit Indonesia's Sumatra Island over the weekend. (AP Photo/Sutan Malik Kayo)

This drone photo shows the damage at a village affected by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Rescuers on Tuesday searched in rivers and the rubble of devastated villages for bodies, and whenever possible, survivors of flash floods that hit Indonesia's Sumatra Island over the weekend. (AP Photo/Sutan Malik Kayo)

People examine the damage at an area badly affected by a flash flood in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, May 13, 2024. Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered flash floods causing a number of people dead and missing, officials said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ali Nayaka)

People inspect buildings damaged by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, May 13, 2024. Rescuers recovered more bodies Monday after monsoon rains triggered flash floods on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, bringing down torrents of cold lava and mud, leaving a number of people killed and missing. (AP Photo/Fachri Hamzah)

A man makes his way among the rubble near the wreckage of a car at a village affected by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, May 13, 2024. Rescuers recovered more bodies Monday after monsoon rains triggered flash floods on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, bringing down torrents of cold lava and mud, leaving a number of people killed and missing. (AP Photo/Fachri Hamzah)

A man walks among the rubble near a house damaged by a flash flood in Agam, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, May 13, 2024. Rescuers recovered more bodies Monday after monsoon rains triggered flash floods on Indonesia's Sumatra Island, bringing down torrents of cold lava and mud, leaving a number of people killed and missing. (AP Photo/Fachri Hamzah)

Rescuers search for victims of a flash flood in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, May 13, 2024. Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered flash floods causing a number of people dead and missing, officials said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ali Nayaka)

This drone photo shows the damage at a village affected by a flash flood in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, May 13, 2024. Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered flash floods causing a number of people dead and missing, officials said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ali Nayaka)

Rescuers carry the body of a victim of a flash flood in Tanah Datar, West Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, May 13, 2024. Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia's Sumatra island triggered flash floods causing a number of people dead and missing, officials said Sunday. (AP Photo/Ali Nayaka)