Although they dominated much of the afternoon, Hendrick Motorsports will leave the Martinsville Speedway still winless in 2008.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin was able to hold off a hard-charging Jeff Gordon to earn his first victory in 2008 and the first in his home state of Virginia.

Hamlin – a native of Chester, Va. – beat Gordon to the line to lead the first lap of Sunday’s Goody’s Cool Orange 500 and he beat him to the line to lead the last. Taking home his first grandfather clock from Martinsville Speedway, Hamlin was sure to thank all of the loyal fans that braved the chilly, wet Virginia weather.

During the final round of pit stops, Hamlin and his Joe Gibbs Racing crew were able to pick up three spots by taking fuel only. The No. 11 Fed-Ex Camry restarted the race in fifth spot and methodically worked his way through traffic to battle Jeff Burton for the lead. Burton looked to be the man to beat late in the race once again as he took the lead for the first time on lap 388.

The Bristol winner had harsh words for rookie Michael McDowell after the event as Burton struggled to get through lap traffic. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson all led with Casey Mears also running strong throughout much of the race.

Gordon and Johnson were able to rebound from early incidents, while Earnhardt Jr.’s strong run fizzled once again late in the race. Mears was consistent all day and was able to come home seventh.

Over the last five years, Hendrick Motorsports had won 8 of the last 10 races at Martinsville, with Johnson winning three in a row.

Kyle Busch – who led the series standings coming into Sunday’s event – struggled early as the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota was turned by older brother Kurt on lap 20. Busch dropped four spots in the standings to fifth, as Burton moved up three positions to take over the lead.

Burton’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick moved up to second, followed by Greg Biffle and Earnhardt Jr.