“I will not break that record”: Denny Hamlin not interesting in breaking long standing NASCAR record after his Xfinity triumph

Denny Hamlin made a remarkable comeback during the final restart in overtime to secure victory at the Xfinity Series event held at Darlington Raceway on Saturday.

Behind the wheel of the #19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin clinched his first win of the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series season at the 1.366-mile-long track.

In a thrilling finish, Hamlin hoisted the white flag during overtime in the last few laps and successfully raced his way to the checkered flag.

He led for 14 laps and finished an impressive 0.657 seconds ahead of the current series leader, Austin Hill. This win marked Hamlin's 18th career triumph in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and his sixth victory at Darlington Raceway.

Meanwhile, Austin Hill secured the runner-up position, with John Hunter Nemechek, Cole Custer, and Josh Berry rounding out the top five. According to AP News, Denny Hamlin said, post his win:

"There’s only one way to go when you run these races and that’s down, when you don't win ... A couple of years ago, I felt you could learn some stuff (while running in an Xfinity race). But Next Gen and this car is just so different, that it’s just a race of its own.

Hamlin, who is now 42 years old, holds the record for being the oldest winner at Darlington in the Xfinity Series since Dick Trickle's victory in September 1998, when he was 56.

Denny Hamlin talked about his age also but categorically stated that he has no interest in trying to break Trickle's record:

"I’m certainly happy that whatever my age is, I feel I’m as good as I’ve ever been. I didn’t want to show everything we had to the very end of the race. Thank you. But I will not break that record, by the way."

Denny Hamlin's road to his 17th NASCAR Cup Series playoff run and Xfinity triumph at Darlington

Denny Hamlin is set to commence his 17th NASCAR Cup Series playoff campaign on Sunday night at the Southern 500. Before that, he prepared for the race by securing his sixth Xfinity victory at Darlington, marking his 18th career win in that series.

In the 2019 Darlington Xfinity race, Hamlin had initially taken the lead but was later disqualified during post-race inspection.

Notably, several Cup regulars participated in Saturday's race. Kyle Larson, who briefly held the second position in the first 90 laps, faced engine issues, forcing him into the pits with the hood up as his team diagnosed the problem. He fell 31 laps behind and ultimately finished in 38th place.

Kyle Busch, the all-time leading Xfinity Series winner, also competed and spent some time in the top 10 before settling for a ninth-place finish. Ross Chastain was another Cup driver in contention, finishing in 23rd place.

The regular season for Xfinity will conclude next week at Kansas, and the 12-team playoffs will kick off one week later at Bristol.