Denny Hamlin Rebounds, Scores 61st Cup Series Victory at Las Vegas

Denny Hamlin added to his NASCAR legacy on Sunday, scoring an emotional victory in the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

On one hand, Hamlin was the dominant driver of the day. He led 134 of the race's 267 laps, taking over the top spot from Christopher Bell on the final restart of the day at lap 219. All of this came in spite of a pit road speeding penalty in the second stage, sending Hamlin on a tear through the field.

"Being part of Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota definitely helps the situation," said Hamlin. "Over the last few races here, I've just had a dominant car. It makes me look good when I can drive cars like this. I've got to thank all of the team. They're the ones that made all this happen."

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube

However, the win did not come without late-race drama. In the closing laps, 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott closed in rapidly, drawing within a half-second of Hamlin at the finish. Hamlin's advantage was too much, earning him the 61st victory of his career.

That landmark came at the same track where he won his 60th race last fall, an emotional victory during a tumultuous season for the Chesterfield, Virginia driver. He dedicated the milestone win to his father, Dennis Hamlin, battling an illness at the time, who passed away from injuries sustained in a fire at his home in December.

With his family at the track on Sunday, including his mother, Mary Lou, who also sustained injuries in the December fire, it was an emotional celebration for Hamlin.

"This is a family sport. My family, obviously, had so much sacrifice to help me get here. Now that I've grown, generations of Hamlins following me. It's great that mom gets to see this. I know Dad's still saying, you know, that's my boy."

Between the offseason tragedy and a heartbreaking conclusion to the 2025 season, which saw Hamlin lose out on his elusive first championship to Kyle Larson on an overtime restart at Phoenix Raceway, Hamlin struggled to find the motivation to race at times. That has not reflected in Hamlin's performance this season, as he now holds back-to-back top five finishes and three straight top 10 results.

"I knew it took a few weeks to feel like driving," explained Hamlin. "Over the last couple of weeks, I've definitely regained the love of it and got refocused. These are great opportunities for us."

With the 61st win, Hamlin stands alone in 10th on the all-time wins list in NASCAR's premier series, breaking a tie with Kevin Harvick.

"Those are legends among the sport. I feel very fortunate to be on the list," Hamlin said. "You know, those guys were far more talented than I have ever thought about being. I just work really hard. I still, to this day, work really hard at my craft and try to continue to get better. Days like today, something will make me feel happy about where I'm at in the sport, still, and what I can still do."

Elliott battled a conflicted reaction after his runner-up finish, measuring his disappointment at coming up just short of his first win of the season with bouncing back from a 23rd-place finish one week ago at Phoenix Raceway.

"It was definitely better there towards the end than we had started the run. I thought there might be an opportunity. I knew that he was starting to get tight there at the end of runs. As bummed as I am to come up that close to a win, I have to kind of bring myself back to a reality check. Just, how much better we ran today than we've been running. I'm balancing that, right?

"Obviously, these things are hard to win. We had a great opportunity to do it. I'm really proud of the effort throught the week, and preparation, and yesterday, just kind of fighting through a not-so-good day and getting in the mix with these guys that win a lot of these races."

Elliott's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, finished third. The Joe Gibbs Racing duo of Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five.

Tyler Reddick maintains the points lead in the NASCAR Cup Series after a 13th-place finish. He holds a 61-point cushion over his 23XI Racing teammate, Bubba Wallace, following Sunday's Pennzoil 400.

The next stop for the NASCSAR Cup Series is Darlington Raceway on Sunday, March 22. The green flag waves on the Goodyear 400 at 3 p.m. ET, with coverage on FS1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Sean Gardner/Getty Images