MIAMI: Denny Hamlin roared from fourth on the last lap to edge Martin Truex at the finish line and capture the closest-ever Daytona 500 by .01 of a second on Sunday.

It was the first victory in 11 attempts for the 35-year-old American at the US stock car season opener, the biggest race in the oval series that is the most popular form of US auto racing.

“I don’t know where that came from,” Hamlin said. “I don’t know what happened. It just came from where it did.”

Matt Kenseth led as the last of 200 laps around the 2.5-mile (4km) oval began, but Hamlin went to the outside and surged into second. Kenseth moved to the outside but Hamlin dropped to the middle of the track and passed him, moving alongside Truex as they came around the final turn.

They sped to the line side by side and a photo finish showed Hamlin the winner by barely a fender.

“I did all I could,” Truex said. “I had the lead. Really proud of that effort. I thought I could keep that foot or so. I lost it in the last second.”

Kyle Busch was third with Kevin Harvick fourth and Carl Edwards fifth.

Hamlin’s win was also the first victory for engine maker Toyota in the feature race of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) campaign, topping a podium sweep for the Japanese firm.

“This is amazing for Toyota,” Hamlin said.

Toyota notched its first Daytona 500 victory,“The Great American Race” three months after its first NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

“This is very difficult for me to put in words. I cannot articulate adequately what this means to Toyota,” said David Wilson, president of Toyota Racing Development. “It’s our single biggest race in our company’s history. I’ll put it in front of the Indy 500, which was a pretty special one back in 2003.”

Gil de Ferran delivered Toyota the Indy 500 victory. Denny Hamlin provided the Daytona 500 win.

“For me, the most enjoyable thing out of winning is seeing people that invest with you, all the time and the resources that they put with us,” said Joe Gibbs, Hamlin’s team owner. “Then to see them win and be that happy, get a chance to celebrate, it’s really a thrill for me.”

When Toyota made its Cup debut in 2007, many thought the Japanese automaker would find quick success because of its deep pockets. But the road to victory lane was far from smooth.

Michael Waltrip Racing, Toyota’s flagship team, was busted for cheating during the 2007 Daytona 500. High-profile Red Bull Racing struggled to make races and ultimately left NASCAR after four full seasons. And Toyota’s third team, Bill Davis Racing, was mostly an also-ran.

“It’s heart-wrenching that none of the freshmen class are still with us,” Wilson said. “That’s not the end of the story that any of us wanted to see. But again, it goes to how difficult, how competitive the sport is.

Toyota’s fortunes changed dramatically when Joe Gibbs Racing switched from Chevrolet in 2008.

“They took a chance on Toyota,” Wilson said. “Look at where they were. Three-time champions. They took a chance on us. The pressure that put on our shoulders to deliver was enormous. I hated that it’s taken us this long.”

Toyota also claimed four of the top five spots in the 500, with Martin Truex Jr. finishing second, Busch third and Carl Edwards fifth.

It was the kind of finish many, including Wilson, thought would happen years earlier.