Hamlin achieves victory 60 and advances to the NASCAR final: Dedicated to his father

Denny Hamlin Celebrates His 60th Victory in Las Vegas

With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin conquered his sixth checkered flag in Las Vegas, a triumph that goes beyond sports. This victory, the number 60 of his career, is a milestone dedicated to his father, who is facing health problems. The 44-year-old driver and three-time Daytona 500 winner secured a spot in the NASCAR championship final. Hamlin, considered one of the best drivers without a Cup Series title, returns to the championship race since 2021. Hamlin, who shares tenth place on the NASCAR wins list with Kevin Harvick, couldn’t contain his emotion after an intense battle in the last ten laps, surpassing Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe.

I am very happy that you were able to see the 60th victory. That was very important to me.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin, visibly moved, dedicated the victory to his 75-year-old father, who introduced him to the world of motorsports and unconditionally supported him throughout his career. The driver highlighted the economic sacrifices his family made to support him, including selling possessions and facing financial difficulties. In the last pit stop, Hamlin opted for four new tires, which allowed him to move up from fifth position. He overtook Joey Logano and then Larson to finally snatch the lead from Briscoe. This victory represents the greatest achievement for the new team leader, Chris Gayle, and the seventh win of the season for Hamlin, his best mark since 2020. Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, expressed his empathy and admiration for the driver. In the race, Larson finished in second place, followed by Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe. Tyler Reddick, who competes for 23XI Racing, and the defending Cup Series champion, Joey Logano, completed the top six. William Byron, who had problems in the race, was involved in an accident that took him out of the competition. The four drivers at the bottom of the playoff standings are Byron, Elliott, Logano, and Blaney.

Problems for Blaney

Ryan Blaney, who started the race in second place in the standings, suffered a hard blow to his title aspirations due to a tire issue that led him to crash into the wall. He finished in 38th position and is now at the bottom of the playoffs. Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, will seek victory at Talladega Superspeedway, where he has won three times and considers it a crucial race for his aspirations. The next NASCAR race will be next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the reigning champion.