In an emotional race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin achieved his sixth checkered flag of the season, marking the 60th victory of his career. This triumph is not only a personal milestone, but also secures a place in the NASCAR championship final.
A dedicated triumph
Hamlin, visibly emotional, dedicated this victory to his father, who is facing health problems. With tears in his eyes, the 44-year-old driver, who has yet to win the Cup title, expressed the importance of this achievement for his father, who introduced him to the world of motorsports.
“I’m happy that I could see victory number 60. That was very important to me.”
Hamlin, who is Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota’s winningest driver, overtook Kyle Larson and teammate Chase Briscoe in the final laps to secure the victory. This victory could be the most important of his career.
The Virginia driver is tied for tenth place on the NASCAR wins list with Kevin Harvick.
Hamlin, after an intense battle in the last ten laps, managed to overtake Joey Logano and then Larson, to finally take the lead from Briscoe.
Team leader Chris Gayle, who is in his first season with Hamlin, praised the adjustments made in the final pit stop, highlighting the importance of this victory.
Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, also expressed his emotion for the driver’s achievement.
Other highlighted results
Kyle Larson, seeking to break a 20-race winless streak, finished in second place. Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, both Joe Gibbs Racing drivers, took third and fourth place, respectively. Tyler Reddick, who races for 23XI Racing, and the defending Cup champion, Joey Logano, completed the top six.
William Byron had an incident that took him out of the race, while Ryan Blaney suffered a tire issue that affected his chances in the championship.
The situation in the playoffs
The four drivers at the bottom of the playoff standings, with two races remaining in this round, are Byron, Elliott, Logano, and Blaney.
Blaney, who was in second position at the start of the race, suffered a setback after a tire problem that caused a crash.
The next NASCAR race will take place next Sunday at the Talladega Superspeedway.
Reddick’s Situation
Despite facing serious health problems with his son, Tyler Reddick continues to compete.
Edwards’ Debut
Rob Edwards, former director of the Andretti Global IndyCar team, made his NASCAR debut this weekend in his new role with the ownership group.
