Denny Hamlin Celebrates His 60th Victory in Las Vegas, Dedicated to His Father
With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin conquered his sixth checkered flag of the season at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway circuit. This victory, the 60th of his career, is a transcendental milestone that he dedicated to his father, who is facing health problems. This triumph not only represents a personal achievement for Hamlin, but also secures him a place in the NASCAR championship final. Hamlin, recognized as one of the most outstanding drivers without having won the Cup title, returns to the championship competition since 2021. Hamlin, who also leads Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota in number of victories, is tied for tenth place on the NASCAR wins list with Kevin Harvick.Hamlin staged an impressive comeback in the last ten laps, overtaking Kyle Larson and his teammate Chase Briscoe. The Virginia driver recalled the disappointment of not having achieved his 60th victory at Kansas Speedway and highlighted the importance of this triumph in Las Vegas, especially dedicated to his father. Hamlin, 44, who has won the Daytona 500 three times, expressed his gratitude to his father for his support and sacrifice throughout his career. The driver thanked his father’s support, who introduced him to the world of motorsport from a young age and financially supported him so that he could pursue his dreams. In the last pit stop, Hamlin chose to change all four tires, which allowed him to advance from fifth position and overtake Joey Logano, who only had two new tires, and then Larson and Briscoe, who also had two new tires. Chris Gayle, the new team boss of Hamlin, also highlighted the importance of the adjustments made during the last pit stop, which contributed to the seventh victory of the season for the driver.“I am very happy that I was able to see victory number 60. That was very important to me,” Hamlin declared.
Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, also expressed his emotion for his driver’s triumph. Kyle Larson, seeking to break a 20-race winless streak, took second place for Hendrick Motorsports. Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, both from Joe Gibbs Racing, finished third and fourth, respectively. Tyler Reddick, who competes for 23XI Racing, was fifth, and Joey Logano, the defending Cup Series champion, finished sixth. Of the top six finishers, five are still in the running for the championship. The other drivers in the title fight are Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney. Byron, after leading the race, lost control of his car and was overtaken by Larson. Minutes later, he was involved in an accident that ended his participation in the race.“Considering all factors, I believe this is the most important victory of my career,” Hamlin stated.
Denny Hamlin
The four drivers with the worst positions in the playoff standings with two races remaining in this round are Byron, Elliott, Logano, and Blaney.“I didn’t see him signaling, I had no idea he was going to pit. I’m devastated,” Byron said.
William Byron
Ryan Blaney Suffers Setback in Title Aspirations
Ryan Blaney, who started the race in second place overall, saw his title hopes seriously affected when a tire issue led him to crash into the wall with nine laps to go in the first stage. Blaney, the defending Cup Series champion, finished in 38th place and fell to the bottom of the standings of the eight playoff drivers. Blaney, who won the title in 2023, competes at Talladega Superspeedway, where he has won three times and is in a “must-win” situation.“You have to be optimistic. I’m not very happy right now, but tomorrow morning I’ll be optimistic to go to the next race,” Blaney said.
Ryan Blaney
