Hamlin, with tears, achieves victory 60 and advances to the NASCAR final

Denny Hamlin Celebrates 60th Victory in Las Vegas, Dedicated to His Father

With tears in his eyes and visibly emotional, Denny Hamlin conquered his sixth checkered flag of the season at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway oval. This victory represents a significant milestone, as it was the 60th of his career, an achievement he dedicated to his father, who is facing health problems. This triumph not only marks a personal milestone for Hamlin, but also secures him a place in the NASCAR championship final, giving him the opportunity to fight for the title, an achievement that has eluded him in the past. Hamlin, considered one of the most outstanding drivers in NASCAR history without having won a Cup title, 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 now also for Toyota. The Virginia driver, currently tenth in the NASCAR wins list, tied with Kevin Harvick, couldn’t contain his excitement after an intense battle in the last ten laps. Hamlin overtook Kyle Larson and his JGR teammate, Chase Briscoe, securing a victory that could be the most important of his career.

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

Denny Hamlin

Hamlin, who opted for four new tires on the last pit stop, rallied from fifth position, overtaking Joey Logano and then Larson and Briscoe, who had only two new tires. Team leader Chris Gayle, who had never made it so far in the playoffs, was key in the final adjustments that led Hamlin to his seventh victory of the season, the most since 2020. Joe Gibbs, moved by Hamlin’s dedication, expressed his emotion at the triumph. 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. Five of them, except Reddick, are still in the fight for the championship. Regarding other competitors, William Byron had an incident that relegated him to the back of the classification, while Ryan Blaney suffered a tire issue that prevented him from continuing in the race.

Blaney Suffers Setback in Title Aspirations

Ryan Blaney, who was in second place in the standings before the race, saw his title hopes seriously affected by a tire problem that led him to crash into the wall. This incident left him in last position among the eight drivers competing in the playoffs. Despite this setback, Blaney maintains an optimistic attitude heading into the next race at Talladega Superspeedway, where he will seek a victory to regain ground in the fight for the championship.

Tyler Reddick Competes Despite Family Hardships

Tyler Reddick, who was eliminated from the playoffs the previous week, continues to compete despite the serious health problems faced by his newborn son. His wife, Alexa Reddick, shared details about her son’s condition on social media, reporting that little Rookie will undergo surgery and be under medical supervision.

Rob Edwards Debuts in NASCAR

Rob Edwards, the experienced 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, an organization led by Dan Towriss that owns teams in NASCAR, IndyCar, IMSA and Formula E, and which will launch the new Cadillac F1 team next season. Edwards expressed his enthusiasm for this new challenge, which comes after almost three decades in IndyCar. He plans to attend several NASCAR events next year with Spire Motorsports, where Towriss is now the majority shareholder.

Next Stop: Talladega Superspeedway

The next NASCAR race will take place next Sunday at the Talladega Superspeedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is the current winner.