Hamlin Dominates at Gateway, Advances in NASCAR Playoffs

Denny Hamlin Wins at Gateway and Advances in NASCAR Playoffs

NASCAR star driver Denny Hamlin once again demonstrated his ability to stay focused by securing a dominant victory at the World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday. This triumph secures his advancement in the Cup Series playoffs. Despite a complicated week, where his father was facing health issues and his team 23XI Racing lost a legal battle with NASCAR, Hamlin remained firm. From the pole position, he led the most laps (75 of 240) and demonstrated a practically impeccable performance.

“I just have to keep getting better,” Hamlin declared after his fifth win of the season, the most in the series. “Each week is an opportunity to be a little better.”

Denny Hamlin

With his 59th career victory, Hamlin advanced to the second round of the playoffs, joining his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe, who finished second. Chase Elliott completed the podium, followed by Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano, solidifying the playoff drivers in the top five at the 1.25-mile oval. The No. 11 Toyota team called Hamlin to the pits for his final stop with 44 laps to go, and after a caution, he regained the lead. Hamlin passed Brad Keselowski on the restart, securing Toyota’s 200th victory in NASCAR’s premier series. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s celebration included a long burnout, receiving boos from the crowd, which seemed to delight Hamlin.

“They can boo me, but they can join the party or get run over by it,” he stated. “I want all the noise and the heat.”

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin, who is also a podcast co-host and co-owner of 23XI Racing with NBA legend Michael Jordan, continues to demonstrate his versatility. At Gateway, he became the seventh driver in NASCAR history with multiple wins after his 700th start. Team owner Joe Gibbs marvels at how Hamlin, who will turn 45 in November and welcomed his third child in June, manages to balance so many responsibilities.

The ultimate goal is the Cup championship, and Hamlin took another step towards that goal by securing his place in the next round, which will be held on September 13 at Bristol Motor Speedway. After Gateway, Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman, and Josh Berry are outside the top 12. After a twelfth-place finish at Gateway, Kyle Larson can secure a spot in the next round simply by participating in Bristol. Bubba Wallace, who finished eighth after leading 73 of 240 laps and winning the second stage, is also in a favorable position. Berry will need a win in Bristol to advance to the next round. The Wood Brothers Racing team driver was hit by Elliott, sending his No. 21 Ford into the wall on lap 36.

“Chase and his team have done a lot for me, and I doubt it was on purpose,” Berry said. “It was simply the wrong place and time for us again. Obviously, it’s unfortunate. We’ll go to Bristol and try to do our best and put ourselves in a position to compete for a win, and that’s all we can do at this point.”

Josh Berry

Elliott apologized for the incident after the race.

“I didn’t mean to touch him,” Elliott said. “I’ve known those guys forever, so I hope they know it wasn’t anything intentional. I felt terrible in the moment and wish I could rewind.”

Chase Elliott

Before the race, NASCAR announced the passing of Bill Davis, whose teams won 40 races in the Cup, Xfinity, and Truck series between 1993 and 2008.