Hamlin takes Texas race after surgery

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 19 (UPI) -- Denny Hamlin bounced back from knee surgery Monday to record a stunning win in the rain-delayed Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Only weeks after undergoing surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, Hamlin passed Jeff Burton after the last restart with 12 laps left and then outlasted Jimmie Johnson down the stretch to take his second win of the year and 10th in his Sprint Cup career.

Hamlin last claimed a title three weeks ago in Martinsville, Va., on the day when was scheduled for the surgery. Instead of going under the knife, he notched a win after inclement weather had bumped the race back to a Monday, just as it did this week.

The procedure was instead performed two days later in Charlotte, N.C.

Hamlin claimed the crown in Fort Worth, Texas, only a week after his first post-surgery race in Phoenix, where he finished two laps down in 30th.

Johnson rallied from sixth after the final restart to finish second, 0.152 seconds behind Hamlin. Kyle Busch, meanwhile, ended in third, while older brother Kurt claimed the fourth spot and Kasey Kahne came in fifth.