Hamlin Excited: Victory 60 and NASCAR Final Dedicated to His Father

Denny Hamlin Celebrates His 60th Victory with Emotion in Las Vegas

With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin achieved his sixth checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, marking a significant milestone in his career. This victory, the 60th of his career, represents a personal achievement dedicated to his father, who is facing health problems. The triumph secures Hamlin a place in the NASCAR championship final. Hamlin, recognized as one of the most outstanding drivers in NASCAR history, returns to the race for the championship for the first time since 2021. In addition, he is the most successful driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. The Virginia driver, currently tied for tenth place in NASCAR history for wins, couldn’t contain his emotion after an intense competition in the final laps.

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

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin outperformed Kyle Larson and his teammate Chase Briscoe in an exciting race. This victory takes on a special meaning, dedicated to his 75-year-old father. Hamlin highlighted the importance of this victory, thanking the support of his father, who introduced him to the world of motorsport from a young age and made numerous sacrifices to boost his career. After the last pit stop, Hamlin, with new tires, rallied from fifth position, overtaking Joey Logano and then Larson and Briscoe, who had used tires. Chris Gayle, the new team boss of Hamlin, has achieved his biggest breakthrough in the playoffs. Hamlin attributed the victory to the adjustments made in the last pit stop, obtaining his seventh victory of the season, the most since 2020. Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, expressed his emotion at the driver’s achievement. Kyle Larson, seeking to break a 20-race winless streak, took second place. Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, also of Joe Gibbs Racing, finished in third and fourth place, respectively. Tyler Reddick was fifth and the defending Cup Series champion, Joey Logano, was sixth. Five of the top six finishers, with the exception of Reddick, are still competing in the playoffs. Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney are also in contention. William Byron, after losing control of his vehicle, was overtaken by Larson. Subsequently, Byron was involved in an accident that ended his race.

I didn’t see him make any signal, I had no indication that he was going to pit. I had no idea. I am devastated. Obviously, I wouldn’t have gone full speed against him.

William Byron

The four drivers with the worst results in the playoffs with two races remaining are Byron, Elliott, Logano, and Blaney.

Ryan Blaney Suffers a Setback in Las Vegas

Ryan Blaney, who started the race in second place in the overall standings, saw his title aspirations affected by a tire issue that caused him to hit the wall. Blaney finished 38th and dropped in the playoff standings. Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, will look to rebound in the next race at Talladega Superspeedway, where he has won three times.

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. We’ve had good results in the next two events, so let’s hope we can come and bring the speed and try to overcome the hole we’ve gotten into.

Ryan Blaney

Tyler Reddick Competes Despite Family Difficulties

Tyler Reddick, who was eliminated from the playoffs last week, continues to compete while his son faces health complications. Reddick’s son, Rookie, needs surgery and is in a unit to monitor his health.

Rob Edwards Debuts in NASCAR

Rob Edwards, former director of the Andretti Global IndyCar team, made his NASCAR debut this weekend in his new role. Edwards will take over as performance director of TWG Motorsports, an organization led by Dan Towriss with teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA and Formula E, and will launch the new Cadillac F1 team next season. Edwards expressed his enthusiasm for this new challenge and anticipates attending several NASCAR races next year with Spire Motorsports. The next NASCAR race will be next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the current winner.