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Hamlin Extends JGR's Hold

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The Associated Press

Published: July 5, 2008

DAYTONA BEACH - DAYTONA BEACH - Denny Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch to win Friday night at Daytona International Speedway and extend Joe Gibbs Racing's dominance in the Nationwide Series.

Hamlin had a comfortable lead over Busch as they headed toward the white flag, but rookie Colin Braun spun to bring out the third caution of the race.

NASCAR reset the laps to create a two-lap sprint to the finish. Hamlin got a great jump on the restart and Busch couldn't challenge him as Hamlin drove to his third Nationwide win of the year.

"I've got to thank Kyle for sticking with me right there in the end," Hamlin said. "The only way we were going is if he actually went for the win."

JGR drivers have dominated the series this season - cars owned by the organization have won 12 times and drivers Hamlin, Busch, Joey Logano and Tony Stewart have combined to win 13 of the 18 series races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished third, followed by Clint Bowyer and Brad Keselowski. Kasey Kahne, Scott Wimmer, David Stremme, David Ragan and Mike Bliss rounded out the top 10.

It was a four-car battle, with Carl Edwards joining Busch, Earnhardt and Hamlin near the front. But once Hamlin got out front, no one could catch him.

"It was a good night for JGR, that's for sure," Busch said. "But I knew there wasn't going to be much to get around that No. 20. It was just too much."

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