Denny Hamlin Celebrates His 60th Victory in Las Vegas, Dedicated to His Father
With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin conquered his sixth checkered flag at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, thus achieving his 60th career victory. This triumph, dedicated to his father, represents a significant milestone and secures him a place in the NASCAR championship final. Hamlin, recognized as one of the most outstanding drivers without yet winning the Cup title, returns to the race for the championship since 2021. This achievement consolidates him as the most successful driver of Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. The Virginia driver, currently tied for tenth place on the NASCAR wins list, couldn’t contain his emotion after an intense battle in the last ten laps, surpassing Kyle Larson and his JGR teammate, Chase Briscoe. Hamlin had expressed his disappointment after failing to win at Kansas Speedway, mentioning the impact this had on his father, who is facing health issues.Hamlin, after a pit stop to change tires, rallied from fifth position, overtaking Joey Logano, who had used tires, and then Larson and Briscoe, both with worn tires. This victory, Hamlin’s seventh of the season, is the most important of his career, according to his own words. Team principal Chris Gayle was also pleased with the result. Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, expressed his emotion at seeing the importance of this victory for the driver and his father. In the race, Larson finished in second place, followed by Christopher Bell and Briscoe. Tyler Reddick, who races for 23XI Racing, and Logano completed the top six. Of the top six, five remain in the fight for the championship. William Byron, who had problems on the track and suffered a crash, expressed his disappointment after the incident. The four drivers with the least chances in the playoffs are Byron, Elliott, Logano, and Blaney.Bad day for BlaneyRyan Blaney, who started the race in second place in the standings, saw his title hopes affected by a tire issue that caused him to crash into the wall. He finished in 38th position and fell to the bottom of the playoff standings. Despite this, Blaney remains optimistic for the next race at Talladega Superspeedway, where he has won on three occasions.Reddick’s sonTyler Reddick, who was eliminated from the playoffs last week, continues to compete while his son faces serious health problems. His four-month-old son requires surgery to remove a tumor.I’m happy that I was able to see victory number 60. That was very important to me.
Denny Hamlin
Edwards’ NASCAR Debut
Rob Edwards, former director of the Andretti Global IndyCar team, made his NASCAR debut this weekend. Edwards will take on the role of performance director for TWG Motorsports, an organization that participates in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, and Formula E.Next raceThe next NASCAR race will take place next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the current champion.
