Hamlin Thrills with Victory 60, Dedicated to His Father, Heading to the NASCAR Final

Denny Hamlin Conquers Las Vegas and Secures a Spot in the NASCAR Final

With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin celebrated his sixth checkered flag of the season at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This victory not only represents the 60th of his career, a milestone dedicated to his father, but also secures him a place in the NASCAR championship final. Hamlin, recognized as one of the most outstanding drivers without a Cup title, returns to the race for the championship for the first time since 2021. He is Joe Gibbs Racing’s most successful driver and now also Toyota’s. The Virginia driver, tied for tenth place in NASCAR history with Kevin Harvick, couldn’t contain his excitement after an intense battle in the last ten laps, surpassing Kyle Larson and his teammate Chase Briscoe.

I dedicate the victory to my father, who also wanted me to reach 60 victories.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin highlighted the importance of this victory, especially dedicated to his 75-year-old father, who introduced him to the world of motorsports and supported him throughout his career. Hamlin thanked his father for the sacrifices made, including selling possessions to keep his passion for racing alive. After opting for four new tires at the last pit stop, Hamlin rallied from fifth position, overtaking Joey Logano and then Larson to finally take the lead from Briscoe, who had used tires. This victory marks a milestone for the new team leader, Chris Gayle, and represents the seventh win of the season for Hamlin, his best record since 2020. Hamlin emphasized that this victory could be the most significant of his career. Team owner Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, expressed his emotion at the achievement. In the race, Larson, seeking to break a winless streak, finished in second place with a Chevrolet from Hendrick Motorsports. Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe, both from JGR, achieved third and fourth place respectively, while Tyler Reddick, who races for Hamlin’s 23XI Racing, finished fifth. The defending Cup champion, Joey Logano, placed sixth. Five of the top six finishers, with the exception of Reddick, are still competing in the playoffs. The other drivers in contention are Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Ryan Blaney. Byron, after leading the race, had a mishap that caused him to lose the lead, and then he was involved in an accident with Ty Dillon, which left him out of the competition. The four drivers at the bottom of the playoff standings, with two races remaining in this round, are Byron, Elliott, Logano, and Blaney.

Blaney Suffers Setback in Title Aspirations

Ryan Blaney, who started the race in second place in the standings, saw his title hopes affected by a tire issue that led him to crash into the wall in the first stage. He finished in 38th place and fell to the bottom of the playoff round. Blaney, who is the current Cup champion, will seek to recover in the next race at Talladega Superspeedway, where he has won three times and is considered a must-win.

We have to be optimistic. I’m not very happy right now, but tomorrow morning I will 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

Reddick Competes Despite Family Difficulties

Tyler Reddick, who was eliminated from the playoffs last week, continues to compete while facing serious health complications with his newborn son. Reddick’s son, Rookie, born in May, has a tumor affecting his renal vein and artery, which has caused an enlargement of the heart. He will need surgery to remove a kidney that is no longer functioning. Alexa Reddick, Tyler’s wife, reported that Rookie will undergo surgery and will be monitored in a specialized unit.

Rob Edwards’ NASCAR Debut

Rob Edwards, former director of the Andretti Global IndyCar team, made his NASCAR debut this weekend in his new role with the ownership group. Edwards will assume the role of Performance Director at TWG Motorsports, the organization led by Dan Towriss, which owns teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA, and Formula E. Edwards expressed his enthusiasm for this new challenge, which comes after almost three decades in IndyCar. He plans to attend approximately half a dozen NASCAR races next year with Spire Motorsports. Andretti Global named Ron Ruzewski, one of the three executives fired from Team Penske following a scandal at the Indianapolis 500, as their new IndyCar team director.

Next Stop: Talladega Superspeedway

The next NASCAR race will take place next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the current winner. Stenhouse is not part of the playoffs.