With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin celebrated his sixth checkered flag of the season, the 60th of his career. This victory at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway has a special meaning, as he dedicated it to his father, who is facing health problems. This triumph not only represents a personal milestone, but also secures Hamlin a place in the NASCAR championship final. Hamlin, recognized as one of the most outstanding drivers who has not yet conquered a Cup title, returns to the race for the championship for the first time since 2021. In addition, he is the most successful driver of Joe Gibbs Racing and now also of Toyota. In the NASCAR win list, Hamlin is in tenth place, tied with Kevin Harvick. The victory in Las Vegas came after an intense battle in the last ten laps, where Hamlin managed to overtake Kyle Larson and his teammate, Chase Briscoe. The Virginia driver revealed that this victory was crucial for him and for his father, who introduced him to the world of motorsport.
Hamlin, who opted for four new tires on the last stop, rallied from fifth position, overtaking Joey Logano and then Larson to finally take the lead from Briscoe. This victory marks Hamlin’s seventh of the season, his best record since 2020. His crew chief, Chris Gayle, also celebrates his best performance in the playoffs.He’s the one who got me into racing and took me to a track when I was 5 years old. He made all the financial sacrifices to keep me going, sold everything we had, we almost lost our house a couple of times just to keep going.
Denny Hamlin
Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, expressed his emotion at seeing the connection of the driver with his father. In the race, Larson took second place, followed by Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe. Tyler Reddick, who races for Hamlin’s team, 23XI Racing, finished in fifth place, while the defending Cup champion, Logano, placed sixth. Of the first six, only Reddick is not in contention for the championship. Other prominent drivers such as Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney, also participated in the race. Blaney, who had tire issues, saw his title hopes affected by hitting the wall in the first stage. Blaney is the current Cup champion, while his teammate Joey Logano has won titles in 2022 and 2024. The next NASCAR race will be at the Talladega Superspeedway. In addition to the competition on the track, the NASCAR community unites in support of Tyler Reddick, who is facing personal challenges due to his son’s health. Rob Edwards, from the Andretti Global IndyCar program, made his NASCAR debut this weekend, taking on a new role at TWG Motorsports. Edwards will serve as performance director for TWG Motorsports, an organization led by Dan Towriss that owns teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, and Formula E. The next NASCAR race will be next Sunday at the Talladega Superspeedway.I simply cannot imagine a greater victory for me than this.
Denny Hamlin
