Denny Hamlin won the 61st race of his Cup Series career at Las Vegas on Sunday to break a tie with Kevin Hamlin for 10th on the all-time wins list.
Hamlin started second on the front row next to pole-sitter Christopher Bell but went on to lead more than half of the race, despite getting a pit road speeding penalty during Stage 2 dropped him to 31st. It was Hamlin’s first win of the year and second straight at the track.
“Over the last few races here just had a dominant car and, you know, makes me look good when I can drive cars like this and I gotta thank the whole team, they’re the ones who made all this happen,” Hamlin said during his front stretch interview after the race.
Hamlin also became just the fifth driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win a race in 20 different seasons.
Chase Elliott finished second when a charge in the closing laps came up a half-second short and was followed across the line by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron.
Hamlin is now two wins behind Kyle Busch, who has 63 and is the only other full-time driver ahead of him. Dale Earnhardt is next at 76 behind Cale Yarborough and Jimmie Johnson with 83. Johnson, who has been driving part-time since 2020, has confirmed that he will make just two more Cup Series starts at San Diego this year and the 2027 Daytona 500.
