NASCAR results at Bristol: Denny Hamlin holds off Matt DiBenedetto to win NRA Night Race

Thomas Schlarp

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NASCAR results at Bristol: Denny Hamlin holds off Matt DiBenedetto to win NRA Night Race image

It may not have been the Cinderella story that fans were rooting for, but Denny Hamlin overcame early issues to hold off Matt DiBenedetto and win the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

The win was Hamlin's fourth of the season and spoiled DiBenedetto's attempt at an improbable win just days after receiving news that Leavine Family Racing was no longer planning to have the No. 95 as a part of its team for the 2020 season. DiBenedetto led a race-high 93 laps before Hamlin passed him with 11 laps to go.

Hamlin fell two laps behind the leader in Stage 1 after making contact with Jimmie Johnson, before eventually coming back for his second career win at Bristol.

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Brad Keselowski, Cup Series leader Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott — all of whom had already qualified for the playoffs — rounded out the top five.

With just two races remaining in the regular season after Saturday, drivers on the playoff bubble were in need of a solid performance in order to lock in a spot in the 16-driver field. Clint Bowyer rebounded from a small wreck to finish seventh but ultimately fell outside the playoff bubble thanks to other drivers picking up more stage points.

The Cup Series returns to Sunday racing in two weeks for the penultimate race of the regular season, the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Sporting News tracked live lap-by-lap updates and highlights from NASCAR's night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Follow along below.

Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race: 2019 winner, top 20 order of finish

Finish Driver Team (Car No.) Laps led
1. Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing (11) 79
2. Matt DiBenedetto Leavine Family Racing (95) 93
3. Brad Keselowski Team Penske (2) 91
4. Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing (18) 30
5. Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports (9) 33
6. Kyle Larson Chip Ganassi Racing (42) 62
7. Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing (14)
8. Daniel Suarez Stewart-Haas (41)
9. Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing (1) 9
10. Ryan Blaney Team Penske (12)
11. Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing (6)
12. Daniel Hemric Richard Childress Racing (8)
13. Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing (19) 52
14. Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports (43)
15. Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports (88)
16. Joey Logano Team Penske (22)
17. Chris Buescher JTG Daugherty Racing (37)
18. Ryan Preece Joe Gibbs Racing (47)
19. Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports (48)
20. Ty Dillon Germain Racing (13)

NASCAR at Bristol: Live updates, highlights from Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

(All times Eastern)

Caution flags: 8

Lead changes: 23

Lap leaders: Denny Hamlin (80), Matt DiBenedetto (93), Brad Keselowski (91), Kyle Larson (62), Martin Truex Jr. (52), Chase Elliott (33), Kyle Busch (30), Kevin Harvick (28), Kyle Busch (30), Erik Jones (9), Kurt Busch (8)

10:40 p.m.: Hamlin enconters some lap traffic, but gets through to pick up his fourth win of the year.

10:37 p.m.: Hamlin passes the No. 95. Nine laps left!

10:35 p.m.: DiBenedetto and Hamlin now locked in a tight duel with 16 laps to go.

10:31 p.m.: Hamlin is now running second, with Keselowski a distant third.

10:27 p.m.: Fifty laps left, and DiBenedetto's lead is now 1.5 seconds over Elliott.

10:24 p.m.: Of the four drivers battling for the final two spots in the playoff standings entering this race, Bowyer is sixth, Suarez is ninth, Blaney is 10th and Johnson is 20th.

10:19 p.m.: Chase Elliott is chomping on DiBenedetto's heels with 72 laps remaining.

10:13 p.m.: Matt DiBenedetto has his first lead of the day. Erik Jones hit the wall pretty hard and is forced to pit.

10:10 p.m.: Green again after a lengthy cleanup. Erik Jones is your leader.

9:57 p.m.: And...another caution. Blaney blew a tire and caused a decent sized wreck. Jimmie Johnson has a pretty big gash on his side panel. Foam blocks are falling out of his car.

9:56 p.m.: Green flag on Lap 371. Kyle Larson's car is already smoking.

9:51 p.m.: Caution with 146 to go. Alex Bowman blew a tire.

9:47 p.m.: Great battle between Keselowski and Busch for the lead. They're door by door for several laps, trading the lead. Busch finally gets the pass.

9:41 p.m.: Denny Hamlin is back on the lead lap and running ninth.

9:38 p.m.: Kyle Busch is complaining that his car is getting loose. He is now a second behind Keselowski.

9:35 p.m.: Erik Jones cracks the top five as the race crosses the 300-lap threshold.

9:30 p.m.: Twenty cars remain on the lead lap. Alex Bowman may have taken some damage after swiping the wall.

9:25 p.m.: Brad Keselowski passes Busch for the lead.

9:23 p.m.: Green flag on the final stage, and it's the other Busch in the lead — Kyle Busch.

Stage 2 winner: Kurt Busch

9:16 p.m.: Kurt Busch holds off Daniel Suarez for the stage victory.

9:15 p.m.: Green flag again, but Harvick's day is done after he blows a transmission.

9:11 p.m.: Caution is out with seven laps left in Stage 2 as Clint Bowyer spins out.

9:07 p.m.: Kurt Busch gets around Ryan Blaney for second.

9:05 p.m.: Back under green.

8:59 p.m.: Caution again, and it's Almirola again into the wall. Kyle Busch is the last car on the lead lap.

8:55 p.m.: Green flag with 55 laps left in Stage 2. Truex is the new leader with Larson in second.

8:50 p.m.: Caution is out as Aric Almirola gets into the wall after JJ Yeley clips him.

8:49 p.m.: Hamlin heads to pit road with 64 laps left in the stage.

8:47 p.m.: Hamlin just radioed that he has a loose wheel. Still staying out on the track.

8:43 p.m.: Kevin Harvick takes his first lead of the day as he gets around Elliott.

8:40 p.m.: Hamlin has failed to recover from the contact in Stage 1. He is still 11th.

8:36 p.m.: Green flag on Stage 2 with Chase Elliott as the leader. Jimmie Johnson opted to stay off pit road and now only one lap down.

Stage 1 winner: Kyle Larson

8:28 p.m.: Larson and Elliott trade the lead, but it's Larson who wins Stage 1.

8:25 p.m.: Ten laps left in Stage 1 with Larson, Elliott and DiBenedetto out in front.

8:20 p.m.: Austin Dillon has to head back to pit road after hitting the wall again.

8:17 p.m.: Green flag with Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott in the front.

8:13 p.m.: All 20 cars on the lead lap head to pit road. It's a bad stop for Hamlin as he falls 10 spots on pit road.

8:11 p.m.: First caution. Austin Dillon blew a tire, causing Jimmie Johnson to rear-end the No. 3. Dillon went into the wall, and Johnson made decent contact with Hamlin.

8:08 p.m.: Joey Logano is the first to pit as he dives down with a flat tire on Lap 68. The stop puts him three laps down.

8:04 p.m.: Kurt Busch, a six-time winner at Bristol, is up to fifth. Martin Truex Jr. and Matt DiBenedetto are third and fourth respectively.

8:00 p.m.: Lap traffic is going to play a big factor tonight on this short track as Larson passes Hamlin again.

7:57 p.m.: Hamlin uses the high line to take the lead right back.

7:55 p.m.: Kyle Larson doesn't wait long and passes Hamlin for the lead.

7:54 p.m.: Hamlin already getting into lap traffic on Lap 14.

7:51 p.m.: Green flag!

7:48 p.m.: A breakdown of today's race as cars hit the track.

7:35 p.m.: Best rendition of our national anthem? Best rendition of our national anthem.

Thomas Schlarp