NASCAR
Denny Hamlin Takes Second Consecutive Las Vegas Win, Takes 10th on Win List
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Persistence, perseverance, and determination all defined Denny Hamlin’s Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For a second-straight Nevada showing, the No. 11 Toyota had its tail in the wind, driving off to a dominant and emotional victory. Now a 61-time NASCAR Cup Series winner, Denny Hamlin takes sole possession of 10th on the all-time victories list.
From the pole, Christopher Bell closed out Stage 1 in clutch fashion. The No. 20 Toyota initially lost the lead to teammate Denny Hamlin, but came storming back by after green flag pit stops. Between the stages, Hamlin suffered a pit road speeding penalty, putting the No. 11 back in traffic. Up front, meanwhile, a teammate shove gave Kyle Larson the lead. William Byron did make a late pass over the 5, though, for the Stage 2 win.
Sign us up for more of this four-car battle for the top spot! pic.twitter.com/BZEhXjFNGc
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 15, 2026
Hamlin quickly retook command in Stage 3 and hardly ever looked back from this point onwards. It was anything but an easy Sunday drive for Hamlin, however, who faced right front tire wear issues all day. Closing laps also saw Chase Elliott keep the No. 11 on his toes, reaching within a few tenths of the lead at the finish.
It was only a matter of time! @dennyhamlin takes the lead away from @WilliamByron with less than 85 to go! pic.twitter.com/nBtJc8guz7
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 15, 2026
Hamlin had just enough life left in his car to keep Elliott at bay and take another heartfelt Las Vegas triumph. Standing victorious with his mother and children, Hamlin gave all the deserved credit to others for such a fast Toyota Camry.
“Being part of Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing, that helps the situation,” Hamlin said. “Over the last few races here, had a dominant car. Makes me look good when I can drive cars like this. I got to thank the whole team. They’re the ones that made all this happen.”
“I knew it took a few weeks to feel like driving. Over the last couple weeks, I definitely regained my love of it, got refocused. These are great opportunities for us. I mean, 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 Mom gets to see this. I know Dad’s still saying ‘That’s my boy.’ Hell of a day.”
“My name stands out amongst — those are the legends of the sport. I feel very fortunate to be on the list. 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 to try to continue to get better. Days like today certainly make me feel happy about where I’m at in the sport still and what I can still do.”
Behind Hamlin and Elliott at the finish were: William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Ty Gibbs. Chris Buescher, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, and Brad Keselowski were the rest of the top 10.
Tyler Reddick retains his points lead after Las Vegas, but Denny Hamlin draws in closer at fourth. Take a look at the updated Chase standings below following five races of the regular season.
The updated #NASCAR Cup Series standings after 5 races. @23XIRacing is 1-2 again with Reddick leading Wallace by 61 points.
The win vaults Hamlin up to fourth.
Gibbs into the top 10 with 10th.
Van Gisbergen is the Chase cut line now in a tiebreaker over Suarez. pic.twitter.com/bAYhlhLoaS
— Peter Stratta (@peterstratta) March 15, 2026
From one of Hamlin’s best tracks to another, the 11 will have a prime opportunity to go back-to-back next week at Darlington Raceway. Denny Hamlin is the defending Goodyear 400 winner, earning his fifth Darlington victory last year. The green flag will fly Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The first South Carolina showing of the new horsepower package has the potential to be a wild show.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo credits to Chris Graythen/Getty Images
