NASCAR Cup race results: Denny Hamlin wins playoff race at Las Vegas

As the Hendrick Motorsports cars fell from the front of the pack, Joe Gibbs Racing drivers were there to fill in the gaps at Las Vegas. A night that looked like it belonged to Kyle Larson finished with Denny Hamlin in Victory Lane.

Larson was the early favorite to win NASCAR’s Cup playoff race at the 1.5-mile intermediate track. He led the second-most laps during Sunday’s race, but was never able to regain the first place spot after pit strategy put him positions down at the end of the second stage.

Hamlin instead won that stage, and with better track position, a cleaner strategy and fast car, he resumed his lead with 39 laps remaining and a gap that never closed enough for his competitors to make a pass.

“It feels so good to win in Vegas,” Hamlin said on NBCSN. “The last couple times I’ve been so close, just didn’t have the right breaks.”

Chase Elliott finished 0.4 seconds behind Hamlin coming through the finish line for second place and made a late-race push, but credited Hamlin with controlling the gap to keep Elliott far enough back.

“I think he was doing a good job of giving himself enough room to him to be able to work the lanes, kind of control the gap back to me,” Elliott said. “ ... Feel like we’ve been performing at a really nice level the last three or four weeks. We just haven’t had great results to show for it.”

Hamlin’s JGR teammates Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. finished third and fourth, respectively, while flat tires stalled Hendrick playoff drivers Alex Bowman and William Byron, who both finished at least one lap down. Larson finished in 10th place, and at one point was leading all four Hendrick drivers up front.

However, as differing pit strategies played out, Hamlin had a clear advantage. He exchanged the lead with Tyler Reddick, who finished sixth, and Truex in the final stage, then cycled back to first place after green flag pit stops, avoiding any debris on the track that contributed to cut tires for others.

Hamlin led 137 laps of 267 total to open the Round of 12 and earned his second win of the season. His latest victory also comes at a critical time, similar to his first 2021 victory at Darlington. Both wins have been at the opening race of a new playoff round, meaning the No. 11 Toyota should be able to sleep more soundly than others still vying to lock in their spot in the Round of 8 during upcoming races at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval.

Hamlin’s relief was apparent. His crew chief Chris Gabehart emphasized the advantage.

“It really can’t be overstated,” Gabehart said. “ ... It’s just part of the job in pro sports. If there’s a competitor out there, a team out there, that’s not having to deal with that pressure, it’s a big advantage. I’m happy it’s the 11 car.”

Larson has the most points in the series, but Hamlin’s win secures his place in the next round, while Byron (-4), Kevin Harvick (-7), Bowman (-13) and Christopher Bell (-25) are all in jeopardy of missing the cut heading to Talladega next weekend. They’re not the only ones worried about the unpredictability of the upcoming races.

“I’ll say it all the time: if you can go to Talladega and come out of there with a 12th place finish with no stage points, that’s a successful day,” Busch said. “I’ll take that right now if I could skip it.”

Hamlin has ensured that at least one JGR car will advance late into the postseason, and made a statement about the No. 11 team’s potential to win it all.

“You stay up front as much as we have (this season), the wins are going to finally come,” Hamlin said. “They’re coming at the right time.”

NASCAR at Las Vegas results