Hamlin reaches 60 career wins in an emotional race and qualifies for the Championship 4

With tears in his eyes and a choked voice, Denny Hamlin dedicated his victory this Sunday in Las Vegas to his father Dennis, who is facing health problems. Win number 60 for the #11 from Joe Gibbs Racing was filled with emotion and automatically places him in the Championship 4 at Phoenix on November 2.

"This win means a lot. This is the point where I usually give the fans a hard time but not today, I appreciate you all so much," expressed Hamlin to the grandstands at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. "Obviously just want to say 'hello' to my dad and my family at home. We were hoping to get to 60 wins today but I didn't think we would achieve it."

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Tied with Kevin Harvick for 10th on All-Time Winners List

The 60 wins place Hamlin tied with Kevin Harvick for tenth place on the all-time winners list in the NASCAR Cup Series. The triumph in the South Point 400 is his sixth of the 2025 season and returns him to the championship finale after a three-year absence since 2021.

Hamlin had arrived in Las Vegas as the leader of the eight drivers in the playoff round, but with no guarantees. The victory eliminates all uncertainty: he is the first of four drivers who will fight for the title in Phoenix.

"I just stomped on it those last 10 laps and made it happen," explained Hamlin, who started from the pole position. "I felt like I had nothing to lose, just go for it and try to lock in a spot now and it feels great."

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Chris Gayle Bets It All on Final Pit Stop

The key decision came from crew chief Chris Gayle on the final pit stop with 14 laps remaining. He chose four new tires when several teams opted for only two, including Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe.

"Chris did an incredible job on that last stop getting the car perfect and I just kept it down," acknowledged Hamlin. "That was all I could do, go for it. Super proud of the team for making all the adjustments they did and the pit crew for doing a great job all day."

Hamlin came out fifth on that decisive restart. He passed Kyle Larson with five laps to go and then Briscoe with four laps to the checkered flag. Christopher Bell also passed Briscoe to give Joe Gibbs Racing a 1-3 finish on the Nevada oval.

Hendrick Motorsports Faces Crisis with Byron and Elliott Under Pressure

William Byron and Chase Elliott, teammates at Hendrick Motorsports, simultaneously fell below the elimination line and now need to win one of the two remaining races (Talladega on October 19 or Martinsville on October 26) to advance to the Championship 4.

Byron finished in 36th position after crashing with Ty Dillon when the latter moved towards pit road without signaling. The incident occurred while Byron was winning Stage 1 and had led 55 laps. He is now 15 points below the cutoff.

Elliott, who started fourth, recovered ground after an early penalty to finish 18th. He finds himself 23 points from the transfer zone. Both HMS drivers face the two most unpredictable races on the calendar: the superspeedway of Talladega and the short track of Martinsville.

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Ryan Blaney Faces Worst-Case Scenario in Playoffs

Ryan Blaney, the 2023 champion, suffered the most catastrophic result of the day. The #12 from Team Penske crashed on lap 70 due to a tire issue in Stage 1 and finished last in the field of 38 cars. He fell to 31 points below the elimination line.

"I'm not very happy right now, but tomorrow morning I'll be optimistic to go to the next race," commented Blaney. "We've had good success at the next two events, so hopefully we can bring the speed and try to climb out of the hole we dug today."

Blaney has three wins at Talladega and won the last two playoff races at Martinsville, the only two events he has left to save his season. Joey Logano, also from Team Penske, salvaged the day with a sixth-place finish after betting on two tires in the last pit stop. He is 24 points from the cutoff.

Joe Gibbs Racing Places Three Cars in Top Four

Joe Gibbs Racing celebrates its best playoff result with Hamlin first, Bell third and Briscoe fourth. Christopher Bell maintains a 20-point cushion above the elimination line after his podium. Briscoe has a 15-point advantage.

Briscoe led 57 laps and was close to victory with his two-tire strategy, but became vulnerable in the closing laps. "I was holding on but I thought I was in really good position there in those last three or four laps on that restart," he explained. "My car was driving really well and as I ran, it was absolutely sideways. At least a JGR car won but that's going to hurt for a while."

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Kyle Larson controlled 129 of the 267 laps and won Stage 2, but the Toyota cars from JGR had better pace on short runs. Larson finished second and maintains the best advantage of the seven remaining drivers with a 35-point lead over the cutoff. Toyota placed four cars in the top five for the fifteenth time in 2025, with Tyler Reddick from 23XI Racing completing the top 5 as the only non-playoff driver.

The series continues on October 19 at Talladega Superspeedway with the Yellawood 500 at 2:00 PM ET, followed by the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on October 26 at 2:00 PM ET.

NASCAR Cup Series - South Point 400
Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nevada
Sunday, October 12, 2025