On Sunday night, Hamlin finally got the victory he'd been after for the previous 17 years.
Hamlin holding out Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in overtime to win the Coca-Cola 600, the longest — and probably wildest — race in history.
Hamlin won for the 48th time in the Cup Series and for the first time at Charlotte Motor Speedway in a points race.
"That's the one big one I don't have on my resume," Hamlin remarked, referring to his three victories in the Daytona 500, Southern 500, and All-Star Race.
The race was more over five hours long and spanned 619 miles, making it NASCAR's longest and most challenging race.
There were 18 caution flags in the race, and 16 drivers did not finish.
A 12-vehicle incident occurred during the race, as well as a stunning crash in which Chris Buescher's car flipped five times before coming to a standstill upside down.
Kyle Larson, the defending race champion, had a rough night that included two pit penalties, a fire in his pit stall and on the back of his vehicle.
On the ensuing restart, Hamlin reclaimed the lead and held off Busch to win. Kevin Harvick finished third, while Briscoe finished fourth.
"I've worked for the Coke family for 18 years as a driver." There has never been a winner of the Coke 600. "This is massive," Hamlin said.
Ryan Blaney, the previous weekend's All-Star race winner, got too low on the apron at the bottom of the track on lap 192 and spun back up the track.
Blaney claimed he crashed because he sat too low on the apron near the bottom of the track, which caused him to lose control.
After colliding with Daniel Suarez on the front stretch, Buescher's No. 17 Ford spun five times before landing on its roof.
Elliott won the opening stage, while Suarez and Chastain of TrackHouse Racing took the second and third stages, respectively.