After an eventful round of 12 that saw Denny Hamlin involved in some sort of incident in each race, there was a different kind of drama in Sunday's round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Although Hamlin started on pole and had good short-run speed, the dominance belonged to the Hendrick Motorsports duo of William Byron and Kyle Larson, who combined to lead 154 of the 267 laps.
However, a late restart after a four-tire call enabled Hamlin to work his way through the field and take advantage of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe and Team Penske's Joey Logano, who were each on two news tires.
Despite only leading nine laps in the race, Hamlin made the winning move with four laps to go and became the first driver to punch his ticket to the Championship 4, all while making some history along the way.
Denny Hamlin makes history in Las Vegas win
The nine laps led are the fewest for a polesitter and race winner in the modern era (since 1972) in Cup Series history.
Great stat work here from @_DanielCespedes and @SethEggert91 pic.twitter.com/EmKWjGLF2q
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 13, 2025
Larson holds the overall national series record in the Xfinity Series from the 2024 race at Circuit of the Americas last season, when he only led the final lap from the pole, but even then, he had to start the race from the rear, so he didn't actually start P1 like Hamlin did on Sunday.
As a result, Hamlin now finds himself as the championship favorite after collecting a milestone 60th win that puts him in a tie with Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time wins list. The win puts Hamlin back in the Championship 4 for the first time since 2021, the final season before the Next Gen car debuted.
A driver known for taunting the fans and hearing a chorus of boos from them after he wins, Hamlin showed a different side of himself following the emotional win as his father, Dennis, continues to battle health issues.
He had been in pursuit of his 60th win for several weeks, and the fact that the win locked up a championship berth while his father is ill only made it that much more special for Hamlin.
NASCAR playoff outlook after Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney's playoff hopes took a turn for the worse when his left front tire blew in stage one, and Byron's otherwise dominant day was ruined when he ran into the back of Ty Dillon with 32 laps to go as Dillon tried to make his way to pit road without warning.
As a result, Byron (-15) and Blaney (-31) both find themselves in precarious positions with two round of 8 races remaining at Talladega Superspeedway and Martinsville Speedway, while Hamlin has two additional weeks to prepare to go for that elusive championship.
After so many close calls over the years, could this finally be Hamlin's time? He did not have the fastest car at Las Vegas, especially over a long run, but a great pit call and superb driving late got him out front when it mattered most. As a two-time Phoenix Raceway winner who finished runner-up to teammate Christopher Bell in the spring, this could be Hamlin's moment as he looks to add a title to an already illustrious resume.