Cup: Denny Hamlin Triumphs at Las Vegas

What’s Happening?

Checkered flag is out in Sin City! Denny Hamlin does it again, going back-to-back at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to score his 61st career victory. It was a difficult offseason for Hamlin, both with the lawsuit and the deep personal tragedy he suffered at the loss of his father in a house fire. And it wasn’t easy today. Dominating early, Hamlin faded toward the end of Stage 1 and had to settle for a 4th-place finish in the stage. Then, a pit road speeding penalty put him all the way back in the 31st position. He rebounded to a 5th place finish in Stage 2. Then, he worked his way up, regaining the lead early in the final stage.

In the closing laps of the race, Chase Elliott started to reel in the Yahoo! No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing. But it wasn’t enough. Denny Hamlin went on to win the race, his second in a row at the track. Here are a few things to note as we look forward to Darlington next wee:

DENNY HAMLIN OUTRUNS CHASE ELLIOTT TO WIN IN LAS VEGAS! pic.twitter.com/G4v2itJn2K

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 15, 2026

Post-Race Fast Notes:

• Heading into today’s race, the talk in the garage was all about how fast the Toyotas were in qualifying and practice. In fact, they cleaned out, sweeping the first two stages. Christopher Bell scored the pole. It was his fourth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, Bell never won from the pole before nor had he ever previously won at Las Vegas. He led the first 10 or so laps before Denny Hamlin overtook him and led through the end of the stage. Hamlin, who won last fall’s race at the track (his 60th career win), faded late in the opening run, relinquishing the lead back to Bell. Bell went on to win the opening stage. However, Kyle Larson was running him down, breathing down his neck.
• In the second stage, Toyotas seemed to fall off. Hamlin made a mistake on pit road, which dropped him down to the 31st position. With the help of his Hendrick teammates, Kyle Larson pounced on the Toyota stranglehold and rocketed out to the lead. He lost the lead late in the stage, however, to teammate William Byron.
• A lot of drivers had good points days in Sin City. They’re thankful to escape the tables with a small win and not a massive deficit. The stage points earners were: Bell (18), Larson (18), Byron (15), Hamlin (13), Wallace (13), Gibbs (8), Preece (7), Reddick (6), Elliott (5), Buescher (4), Blaney (2), and Cindric (1).
• A number of drivers were definitely on the struggle bus today. One was defending winner Josh Berry, who went two laps down early. Another was Kyle Busch, who ran consistently in the low 20s and upper 30s. The Trackhouse road course duo of Connor Zilisch and Shane van Gisbergen also performed terribly today, taking big hits in the Cup Series standings.
• In the end, it was Denny Hamlin going back-to-back in Sin City to capture his 61st career victory. It was an emotional win for Hamlin who went from wearing the black hat to being a fan favorite. With the lawsuit and family tragedy in the offseason, Denny was able to celebrate post-race with his mother and daughters, making for a memorable celebration.
• He was the class of the field all day. Denny Hamlin clocked the Xfinity Fastest Lap early on in the race and never looked back.

Caution Tracker

• Lap 80: End of Stage 1
• Lap 165: End of Stage 2
• Lap 211: Connor Zilisch Spins

Race Results

Denny with a big run on the outside!

The No. 11 is back out front! pic.twitter.com/mxxhVMRguh

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 15, 2026

Points Standings (5 of 26)

He’s #A11IN all the time! @dennyhamlin collects his third @LVMotorSpeedway win! pic.twitter.com/518qneN3iT

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 15, 2026

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