Hamlin Gets Victory 60 in Las Vegas and Secures NASCAR Final with Tears

With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin achieved his sixth checkered flag at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a triumph that goes beyond sports. This victory, the 60th of his career, is a milestone that he dedicated to his father, who is facing health problems. This victory secures him a place in the NASCAR championship final.

A dedicated achievement

Hamlin, recognized as one of the best untitled drivers in the Cup Series, returns to the race for the championship since 2021. He is the winningest driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. The Virginia driver, tied for tenth in NASCAR history with Kevin Harvick, couldn’t contain his emotion after an intense battle in the last ten laps. After an effort to catch Kyle Larson and his teammate Chase Briscoe. Hamlin expressed that this victory is for his 75-year-old father, who has always supported him in his career.

He is the one who introduced me to the world of motorsports and took me to races from the age of 5. He made many sacrifices, we even sold everything we had and almost lost our house to move forward. I’m glad he was able to see victory number 60. That was very important to me.

Denny Hamlin

In the last pit stop, Hamlin opted for four new tires, which allowed him to recover from fifth place. He overtook Joey Logano and then Larson to finally take the lead from Briscoe. Team leader Chris Gayle highlighted that this victory is the most important for Hamlin. Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, also shared his emotion. Larson, looking to break a winless streak, finished in second place. Christopher Bell and Briscoe, both from JGR, achieved third and fourth place, respectively. Tyler Reddick was fifth and Logano, the defending champion, finished in sixth place. Five of the top six finishers, with the exception of Reddick, are still competing in the playoffs. William Byron, who was leading the race, had an incident and was overtaken by Larson. Byron was involved in a crash that ended his participation in the race. The last four in the playoff standings are Byron, Elliott, Logano, and Blaney.

Tough Day for Blaney

Blaney, who started the race in second place in the standings, suffered a setback in his title aspirations due to a tire problem that caused a crash. His career ended immediately, finishing in 38th position and falling in the playoff standings. Blaney, 2023 Cup Series champion, will look to bounce back in the next race at Talladega, where he has won three times.

Reddick’s Fight

Reddick, despite his elimination from the playoffs, continues to compete while his son faces health complications. Your four-month-old son requires surgery and the removal of a kidney.

Edwards’ NASCAR Debut

Rob Edwards, former director of the Andretti Global IndyCar team, made his NASCAR debut. Edwards will take over as performance director of TWG Motorsports. Edwards expressed his enthusiasm for this new challenge. The next NASCAR race will be at Talladega Superspeedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the reigning champion.