Denny Hamlin Celebrates His 60th Victory with Emotion and Dedication
Las Vegas – With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin conquered his sixth checkered flag of the season at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a triumph that goes beyond sports. This victory, the 60th of his career, is a milestone that Hamlin dedicated to his father, who is facing health problems. The triumph secures Hamlin a place in the NASCAR championship final. Hamlin, 44, and three-time Daytona 500 winner, has been recognized as one of the most outstanding drivers who has yet to achieve a title in the Cup Series. This victory returns him to the race for the championship since 2021. Hamlin, the most successful driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and now for Toyota, tied for tenth place on the NASCAR wins list with Kevin Harvick. The final race was intense. Hamlin overtook Kyle Larson and his JGR teammate, Chase Briscoe, after a risky strategy on the final stop. Hamlin expressed that this victory is especially significant for his 75-year-old father, who introduced him to the world of motorsports.After a strategic pit stop, Hamlin advanced from fifth position, overtaking Joey Logano and then Larson and Briscoe, who had fewer new tires. The team leader, Chris Gayle, praised the adjustments made during the last pit stop, attributing the seventh victory of the season for Hamlin to this, his best mark since 2020.“He is the one who introduced me to racing and took me to a circuit when I was 5 years old. He made all the financial sacrifices to keep me in this, we sold everything we had, we almost lost our house a couple of times to keep going. I am glad he was able to see victory number 60. That was very important to me,” Hamlin declared.
Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, shared his own emotion at the situation. In the race, Larson finished in second place for Hendrick Motorsports. Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe of JGR were third and fourth, respectively. Tyler Reddick, who races for Hamlin at 23XI Racing, finished fifth, and the defending Cup Series champion, Logano, was sixth. Of the first six, only Reddick is not in contention for the championship. Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney, also participants in the playoffs, had less favorable results. Byron, after a mistake, was involved in an accident that took him out of the race, while Blaney suffered a tire issue that affected his championship chances.“Simply, considering all factors, I can’t imagine a greater victory for me than this,” Hamlin said.
Denny Hamlin
