After leading for much of the final stage, Truex failed to put Hamlin away and settled for second place.

As Hamlin framed his aggressive approach to his team, “Gotta f—ing take it sometimes.”

Hamlin swept Stages 1 and 2 before claiming the race.

The third-to-last regular-season contest also provided playoff bubble drama. Kurt Busch, who entered the competition feeling safe, crashed in the first 10 laps and will now be under increased pressure. Jimmie Johnson, meanwhile, jumped into a postseason spot with a smooth seventh-place finish.

Sporting News tracked live updates and lap-by-lap highlights from Saturday’s NASCAR race at Dover. Follow below for complete results from the Drydene 311:

MORE: Watch NASCAR live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

NASCAR at Dover top 20 finishers

Lead changes: 15Leaders: 10Cautions: 4

NASCAR at Dover live race updates, highlights from Drydene 311

6:48 p.m.: Hamlin wins it. Boy, has he been great this year.

6:45 p.m.: Five laps remaining.

6:44 p.m.: 2020 Denny Hamlin is a beast.

6:35 p.m.: And just after we mention Truex lurking behind Dillon, Truex makes a move and regains the lead.

6:33 p.m.: Austin Dillon has a hold of first now — the 10th driver to occupy the lead today — but Truex is on his tail.

6:19 p.m.: Right now it’s Truex-Busch-Hamlin at the top with 65 laps left.

6:05 p.m.: Kyle Busch is up to second with 100 laps remaining in the race.

5:58 p.m.: Truex takes the lead as Stage 3 goes to green.

5:49 p.m.: Hamlin wins Stage 2.

5:43 p.m.: Ten more laps in Stage 2. Hamlin remains in first.

5:37 p.m.: NASCAR drivers are professional disaster avoiders. This was close.

5:30 p.m.: First misstep for Johnson today.

5:27 p.m.: Mid-stage pit stops are beginning.

5:17 p.m.: This has been Clint Bowyer’s best start in a while. He’s in third place, behind Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.

5:10 p.m.: Hamlin still leads. Johnson is in fifth, Erik Jones is in 15th and Christopher Bell is in 21st.

4:55 p.m.: Denny Hamlin wins Stage 1.

4:45 p.m.: Austin Dillon leads with 15 laps left in Stage 1.

4:29 p.m.: Chase Elliott has led the whole way so far.

4:26 p.m.: They’re back to green.

4:22 p.m.: This has to be one of Kurt Busch’s shortest races ever.

4:21 p.m.: Caution for Kurt Busch.

4:17 p.m.: Green flag!

4:11 p.m.: Engines are fired and we’re almost ready to go.

NASCAR race start time today

Date: Saturday, Aug. 22 Start time: 4 p. m. ET TV channel: NBC Sports Network Live stream: NBC Sports Go | fuboTV (7-day free trial)

The green flag for Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover will wave shortly after 4 p.m. ET, assuming there are no rain delays as there have been so often since NASCAR returned to live racing in May.

Dover International Speedway does not have lights, so a weather delay would threaten to postpone or delay either race in the Saturday-Sunday doubleheader.

The good news regarding NASCAR’s chances of getting the Dover races in as scheduled is they both are relatively short — 311 laps around the one-mile speedy concrete oval.

NASCAR starting lineup at Dover

Below is the starting lineup for Saturday’s NASCAR race at Dover: