NASCAR's Chase Elliott wins first Daytona road course race

Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Chase Elliott held off Denny Hamlin for a historic win in the debut of the Daytona International Speedway Road Course.

"I just had a really good car more than anything, not sure I did anything special," Elliott said after the GoBowling 235 triumph Sunday in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Elliott earned a 10-second advantage on the field just before a caution flag came out with five laps remaining. He got off the a good jump on the restart and held on for the final three laps to beat Hamlin by .202 seconds.

"It wasn't my day," Hamlin said. "It was my day to finish second. It was fun. I kept him honest, but he had such a good drive off I couldn't do anything with it."

Elliott started seventh and led a race-high 34 laps to claim a victory in his second Cup Series race of the season. His last Cup Series win came at the Alsco Uniforms 500 on May 28 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Elliott also won the All-Star Race on July 15 in Bristol, Conn.

Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Chris Buescher also finished in the top-five. Cup Series leader Kevin Harvick finished 17th, which ended his streak of nine-consecutive races with a top-five finish.

"I think when you have things going like we do, you can run with whoever," Elliott said. "I think we have proven that in the past and it isn't something I have to sell myself on believing."

The Cup Series schedule continues with the Drydene 311 at 4 p.m. EDT Saturday at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del.