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

Denny Hamlin Earns Victory 60 and Focuses on the Championship

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. This triumph consolidates him as the most successful driver of Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. The Virginia driver, tied for tenth place in all-time NASCAR wins, couldn’t contain his emotion after an intense battle in the last ten laps, surpassing Kyle Larson and his teammate Chase Briscoe.

“This victory is for my father, who introduced me to the world of motorsport and supported me unconditionally,” declared Hamlin.

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin, who started from fifth position after the last pit stop, demonstrated his skill by overtaking Joey Logano and then Larson, to finally take the lead from Briscoe. This victory could be the most significant of his career, and it had the support of his new team leader, Chris Gayle, who has achieved his seventh win of the season, the most since 2020. Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, expressed his support for the driver. Kyle Larson, seeking to break a 20-race winless streak, took second place for Hendrick Motorsports. Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe of Joe Gibbs Racing, along with Tyler Reddick and defending champion Joey Logano completed the top six. The race also presented challenges for other important drivers. William Byron, after leading the race, had a mishap and was involved in an accident that took him out of the competition. Regarding the playoff standings, Byron, Elliott, Logano, and Blaney are at the bottom of the table with two races remaining in this round.

Blaney Suffers Setback in Title Aspirations

Ryan Blaney, who started the race in second place in the overall standings, saw his title hopes affected by a tire issue that led him to crash into the wall. This incident relegated him to 38th place and placed him at the bottom of the eight drivers in the playoffs. Despite this setback, Blaney approaches the next race at Talladega Superspeedway with optimism, where he will seek a crucial victory.

Tyler Reddick Competes Despite Family Difficulties

Tyler Reddick, who was eliminated from the playoffs the previous week, continues to compete while his son faces serious health issues.

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 with the ownership group. Edwards will assume the role of performance director for TWG Motorsports, an organization led by Dan Towriss that owns 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, anticipating attending several NASCAR races next year. The next NASCAR race will be next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the current winner.