KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Denny Hamlin held off hard-charging Martin Truex Jr. down the stretch Sunday to win at Kansas Speedway for the first time.
Truex had dominated most of the race, but Hamlin had gone to the front when his car hooked up under the first sunshine of the afternoon. Truex mounted a comeback, diving low with a couple laps left, but he couldn't make the move stick and Hamlin pulled away.
He coaxed his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota the rest of the way for his second win this season.
Truex wound up leading a race-high 173 laps but had to settle for second, his third top-5 finish of the season. He still hasn't won in 175 Sprint Cup races.
Jimmie Johnson finished third for Hendrick Motorsports, which has failed in 14 tries to win the team's milestone 200th race. Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished seventh.