Denny Hamlin had to out-duel Kyle Larson and run down teammate Chase Briscoe in a dramatic showdown for the NASCAR Cup Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hamlin made the pass for the win with just four laps to go, rocketing past Briscoe on the outside.
Hamlin went on to finally collect his coveted 60th career win, matching Kevin Harvick and entering the top ten in the all-time wins list. On the cool down lap, he was clearly wiping tears from his eyes.
"Yeah, it definitely means a lot," said Hamlin after grabbing the checkered flag. He didn't even taunt the booing fans as he likes to do after race wins: "This is the point where I kind of give the fans some shit, but not today. I appreciate all of you so much (tearing up). Obviously want to say hi to my dad, family back at home. All the friends that came out here for Vegas, hoping we get 60.
"I didn't think we were. Put the pedal down the last 10 laps, made it happen."
On his final charge through the field, Hamlin said: "I just held it down. That's all I could do, is just go for it. I felt like I had nothing to lose. Just go for it, try to punch a ticket now."
Larson went on to finish second, Christopher Bell third, Briscoe fourth, and Tyler Reddick fifth. Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ryan Preece, and Brad Keselowski filled out the remainder of the top ten.
Stage 1
Hamlin led the race from pole position, but he quickly lost the lead to Briscoe as he briefly struggled to get the car into fifth gear.
About 33 laps into the race, Reddick triggered the first round of green-flag pit stops. A slow stop for Briscoe proved costly, dropping him from the lead down to fourth on track.
Byron inherited the race lead, but Reddick was close behind after pitting before anyone else.
With less than ten laps to go in the stage, there were major championship implications as Ryan Blaney cut a left-front tire and slammed the outside wall. He was out of the race, scoring one point and finishing 38th (last).
The field filed down pit road for fresh tires for the four-lap shootout to end the stage, while all those who had been lapped during the first round stayed out to take an easy wavearound.
Byron went on to win the stage, but it was hectic behind him as Elliott and Hamlin slammed doors in the battle for position.
Behind Byron, Larson ended Stage 1 in second, Briscoe third, Hamlin fourth, and Elliott fifth.
Stage 2
At the start of the second stage, Byron nearly spun from the lead after an aggressive push from Briscoe. Thankfully, disaster was avoided and this stage went caution-free.
About 36 laps into the stage, Bell was the first playoff driver into the pits. Elliott's tire let a tire slip away, resulting in a drive-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire. Bubba Wallace, who was running up front, also got penalized but for speeding.
Larson went on to win the stage, followed by Reddick, Byron, Hamlin, and Briscoe.
Elliott did a good enough job to get him into the free pass position, so he got back on the lead lap from the 25th position when the stage ended.
Stage 3
After a frantic restart, Larson got away with teammate Byron right behind him. Briscoe also touched the wall, and faded to the back-half of the top ten. He worried over the radio that he may knocked the toe out.
Larson remained in control until the final round of green-flag pit stops, which began on Lap 211 of 267 with Briscoe. Larson didn't lose the lead on pit road, but Byron blew by as Larson merged back onto the racing surface.
Radio chatter revealed that Larson missed the original call to pit, which opened the door for Byron's successful undercut.
Hamlin ran about seven laps longer before finally coming down pit road, but the team was slow on the right side, costing him several seconds.
Bowman and Gibbs also made contact at pit entry as the No. 48 entered pit road.
With about 35 laps to go, Byron actually got loose and nearly wrecked out of the lead. As he collected the car, Larson drove right on by and retook the top spot.
During the caution, a handful of drivers opted for two-tire calls in an attempt to gain track position, and potentially steal a win.
That put Briscoe and Logano on the front row, but the race quickly went back under yellow as Shane van Gisbergen and Ty Gibbs collided in a multi-car accident.
In the closing laps, Larson tried and failed to hold back Hamlin, allowing Briscoe to get away. But once Hamlin got clear of Larson, he quickly ran down his teammate and snatched the lead away.
Photos from Las Vegas - Race
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
Las Vegas - Sunday, in photos
|
1
-
2
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cla | Driver | # | Manufacturer | Laps | Time | Interval | Pits | Points | Retirement | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 |  D. Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing |
11 | Toyota | 267 |
2:55'13.672 |
9 | 54 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | K. Larson Hendrick Motorsports |
5 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+1.533 2:55'15.205 |
1.533 | 9 | 54 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | C. Bell Joe Gibbs Racing |
20 | Toyota | 267 |
+2.294 2:55'15.966 |
0.761 | 9 | 43 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | C. Briscoe Joe Gibbs Racing |
19 | Toyota | 267 |
+2.381 2:55'16.053 |
0.087 | 9 | 48 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | T. Reddick 23XI Racing |
45 | Toyota | 267 |
+2.846 2:55'16.518 |
0.465 | 9 | 44 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | J. Logano Team Penske |
22 | Ford | 267 |
+4.258 2:55'17.930 |
1.412 | 9 | 34 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | A. Bowman Hendrick Motorsports |
48 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+4.456 2:55'18.128 |
0.198 | 9 | 33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | K. Busch Richard Childress Racing |
8 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+5.032 2:55'18.704 |
0.576 | 9 | 29 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | R. Preece RFK Racing |
60 | Ford | 267 |
+5.085 2:55'18.757 |
0.053 | 10 | 28 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | B. Keselowski RFK Racing |
6 | Ford | 267 |
+5.571 2:55'19.243 |
0.486 | 10 | 27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | A. Cindric Team Penske |
2 | Ford | 267 |
+5.679 2:55'19.351 |
0.108 | 9 | 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | C. Buescher RFK Racing |
17 | Ford | 267 |
+6.043 2:55'19.715 |
0.364 | 9 | 25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | N. Gragson Front Row Motorsports |
4 | Ford | 267 |
+7.844 2:55'21.516 |
1.801 | 10 | 24 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14 | R. Stenhouse Jr Hyak Motorsports |
47 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+8.145 2:55'21.817 |
0.301 | 10 | 23 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 15 | E. Jones Legacy Motor Club |
43 | Toyota | 267 |
+8.533 2:55'22.205 |
0.388 | 10 | 22 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16 | M. McDowell Spire Motorsports |
71 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+9.097 2:55'22.769 |
0.564 | 10 | 21 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17 | R. Herbst 23XI Racing |
35 | Toyota | 267 |
+9.717 2:55'23.389 |
0.620 | 9 | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18 | C. Elliott Hendrick Motorsports |
9 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+9.889 2:55'23.561 |
0.172 | 10 | 25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 19 | A. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing |
16 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+10.693 2:55'24.365 |
0.804 | 10 | 18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 20 |  D. Suarez TrackHouse Racing |
99 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+11.453 2:55'25.125 |
0.760 | 10 | 17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21 | T. Gilliland Front Row Motorsports |
34 | Ford | 267 |
+11.632 2:55'25.304 |
0.179 | 9 | 16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 | B. Wallace 23XI Racing |
23 | Toyota | 267 |
+12.332 2:55'26.004 |
0.700 | 10 | 20 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 23 | R. Chastain TrackHouse Racing |
1 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+14.185 2:55'27.857 |
1.853 | 13 | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24 | Z. Smith Front Row Motorsports |
38 | Ford | 267 |
+16.113 2:55'29.785 |
1.928 | 13 | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 25 | A. Dillon Richard Childress Racing |
3 | Chevrolet | 267 |
+29.929 2:55'43.601 |
13.816 | 13 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 26 |
J. Berry Wood Brothers Racing
|
21 | Ford | 266 |
+1 Lap 2:55'24.861 |
1 Lap | 9 | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 27 | J. Haley Spire Motorsports |
7 | Chevrolet | 266 |
+1 Lap 2:55'25.689 |
0.828 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 28 | C. Custer Haas Factory Team |
41 | Ford | 266 |
+1 Lap 2:55'26.266 |
0.577 | 9 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 29 | J. Nemechek Legacy Motor Club |
42 | Toyota | 265 |
+2 Laps 2:55'27.977 |
1 Lap | 10 | 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 30 | J. Yeley NY Racing Team |
44 | Chevrolet | 263 |
+4 Laps 2:55'30.612 |
2 Laps | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 31 |  K. Legge Live Fast Motorsports |
78 | Chevrolet | 261 |
+6 Laps 2:55'34.688 |
2 Laps | 10 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 32 | C. Hocevar Spire Motorsports |
77 | Chevrolet | 252 |
+15 Laps 2:47'06.208 |
9 Laps | 10 | 6 | Accident | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 33 |  S. van Gisbergen TrackHouse Racing |
88 | Chevrolet | 245 |
+22 Laps 2:36'06.999 |
7 Laps | 11 | 4 | Accident | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 34 | T. Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing |
54 | Toyota | 244 |
+23 Laps 2:34'23.044 |
1 Lap | 9 | 9 | Accident | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 35 | C. Ware Rick Ware Racing |
51 | Ford | 243 |
+24 Laps 2:34'24.176 |
1 Lap | 7 | 2 | Accident | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 36 | W. Byron Hendrick Motorsports |
24 | Chevrolet | 235 |
+32 Laps 2:21'14.313 |
8 Laps | 8 | 19 | Accident | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 37 | T. Dillon Kaulig Racing |
10 | Chevrolet | 233 |
+34 Laps 2:21'59.578 |
2 Laps | 9 | 1 | Accident | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 38 | R. Blaney Team Penske |
12 | Ford | 70 |
+197 Laps 36'41.508 |
163 Laps | 4 | 1 | Accident | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| View full results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Read and post comments