Denny Hamlin captured a milestone Denny Hamlin NASCAR Cup win on Sunday evening at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, overtaking teammate Chase Briscoe in a determined late-race maneuver. The win not only delivered Hamlin his 60th NASCAR Cup Series victory, but it also solidified his standing as the all-time winningest Toyota driver in the Cup Series, following his sixth triumph of the current season. Hamlin’s result ensured that a Toyota driver remains in the Championship 4, preserving the brand’s streak in the playoff era.
Toyota Dominates Top Finishers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Toyota teams delivered a commanding performance at Las Vegas with four Camrys finishing among the top five. Alongside Hamlin’s victory, Christopher Bell secured third place, Chase Briscoe finished fourth, and Tyler Reddick took fifth. This marks the second consecutive race on a mile-and-a-half track where Toyota has placed four drivers in the top five, a feat achieved for only the fifteenth time in Cup Series history. This season alone, Toyotas have claimed four of the top-five spots in three of the seven playoff rounds, notably at Darlington, Kansas, and now Las Vegas.
Playoff Implications and Standings Moving Forward
The results provide a crucial boost for Team Toyota drivers as the playoff picture begins to take shape ahead of the race at Talladega. Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and Chase Briscoe are all now above the playoff cutline. Bell holds third place overall with a 20-point cushion, and Briscoe sits fourth, 15 points above the elimination threshold. The pressure continues to build as the field heads into the high-stakes Talladega race, where fortunes can shift rapidly and playoff hopes may hinge on a single incident.
Race Recap: Key Moments and Final Standings
The Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the 33rd event of the NASCAR Cup Series season, encompassing 400.5 miles across 267 laps. The race featured strong showings from several leading Toyota teams, with the final order highlighting their consistent pace:
- 1st – Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
- 2nd – Kyle Larson (non-Toyota)
- 3rd – Christopher Bell (Toyota)
- 4th – Chase Briscoe (Toyota)
- 5th – Tyler Reddick (Toyota)
- 15th – Erik Jones (Toyota)
- 17th – Riley Herbst (Toyota)
- 22nd – Bubba Wallace (Toyota)
- 29th – John Hunter Nemechek (Toyota)
- 34th – Ty Gibbs (Toyota)
Non-Toyota driver Kyle Larson broke up the potential sweep, finishing in second place, while the Toyota contingent dominated the rest of the lead group.
Driver Reactions: Inside Perspectives from the Stars
Hamlin’s victory was shaped by teamwork and relentless preparation, as he noted after crossing the finish line:
Yeah, just an incredible team effort. I’ve only had five minutes to think about what just happened. Certainly, didn’t expect it – I just drove as hard as I could. Huge to get ampm their first win, and huge thank you to everyone that has been a part of our team this season – Toyota, Progressive, Sport Clips, National Debt Relief, King’s Hawaiian, Bob’s Discount Furniture, Coca-Cola, Jordan Brand, Shady Rays and Logitech G.
– Denny Hamlin, No. 11 ampm Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Reflecting on his mental approach and dedication before the race, Hamlin added:
A lot. I don’t know. It constantly occupies my mind, and everything I need to do to get better as a driver. I work really hard at it, so it is super rewarding to get results like this.
– Denny Hamlin, No. 11 ampm Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Christopher Bell, finishing third, weighed in on his day at the track:
I don’t know. Kind of déjà vu as last year. Just we were all a little bit at the beginning of the race, obviously got going pretty good there the second half of the race. I felt like at the second half, I had what I needed to go out there and win. I just didn’t do a good job on the restarts, didn’t get through there. I don’t know. Feels a lot like last year. Hopefully we can execute the next two a little bit better than last year.
– Christopher Bell, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Bell also reflected on the tension of narrowly avoiding a crash during the event:
That’s just being fortunate, being blessed. They crashed. The sun is right there. There’s tire smoke. I had no idea where any of ’em were. Just kind of prayed, hit the brake, tried to keep it as far left as I could. Fortunately, we missed it. Yeah, I don’t know, it literally feels like déjà vu. Yeah, proud of everyone on this Rheem team. We didn’t get a Rheem win this year, but came really close. Guess we’ll roll the dice at Talladega.
– Christopher Bell, No. 20 Rheem Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Chase Briscoe, who was overtaken by Hamlin in the decisive moments, described the difficulty of holding his position near the end:
I was hanging on. Yeah, I thought I was in a really good spot there, the first three or four laps after the restart, my car drove really good. As I ran, I was just absolutely sideways in our Bass Pro Shops Toyota. I thought there for a while when they were racing hard enough, maybe I was going to sneak one off on them. Just really loose at the end. Glad at least a JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) car won. That’s going to sting for a while.
– Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Looking ahead to the pivotal Talladega race, Briscoe acknowledged the unpredictable nature of the upcoming event:
We got to go there, race, see what happens. Obviously, that’s where the biggest points swing is probably going to come for all of us. Luckily for us, we didn’t use our one mulligan today, I guess. Go there, see what we can do, hopefully come out there on the plus side, maybe even win it, go on to Martinsville and see what we can do.
– Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry XSE, Joe Gibbs Racing
Tyler Reddick, who rounded out Toyota’s impressive group at the front, summarized his day by focusing on the speed and consistency of his car:
Yeah, really solid day for us and our Jordan Brand Camry. It was really, really fast. Just not ultimately able to get the job done fortunately but it was nice to have the speed that we did and be at the front the majority of the day.
– Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Jordan Brand Toyota Camry XSE, 23XI Racing
What the Victory Means for Hamlin, Toyota, and the NASCAR Cup Playoffs
Denny Hamlin’s Las Vegas triumph further cements his reputation among NASCAR’s elite and sets the stage for a high-stakes championship battle. With his 60th career Cup win, Hamlin elevates himself as the standout driver for Toyota, while also keeping the manufacturer’s championship hopes alive among a competitive field. The results in Las Vegas underscore both Hamlin’s enduring skill and Toyota’s strength in the current playoff landscape, giving Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing strong momentum heading into Talladega and the final stretch of the season. As the playoffs progress, each race takes on greater significance, and all eyes will be on the next round where points can swing dramatically, reshaping the race for the coveted Cup title.
