Hamlin wins Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin took the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas in a weekend Cup shakeup, a victory that further cements his status among the season’s front-runners after the Sin City race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Standings After Las Vegas as Denny Hamlin Climbs Official race results: 2026 NASCAR Cup Las Vegas I.
The weekend pushed Hamlin to his 61st career Cup victory, moving him into sole possession of 10th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list (nascar.com). He led a race-high 134 of the 267 laps, a dominant showing that included staying out front for the final 49 circuits to hold off Chase Elliott by 0.502 seconds (nascar.com). Hamlin recovered from a pit-road speeding penalty at the first stage break — a mistake that sent him to the rear before he charged back through the field (nascar.com). Christopher Bell started on the pole and won Stage 1 while William Byron captured Stage 2, leaving the late-race strategy and a late four-tire call to decide the final running order (nascar.com). The Pennzoil 400 ran the scheduled 267 laps, featured 21 lead changes and produced three cautions that covered 20 laps, shaping pit strategy and late-race restarts (heavy.com). In the standings fallout Hamlin vaulted eight positions to fourth with 177 points, while Tyler Reddick remained the points leader with 255 and a 61-point advantage over Bubba Wallace heading into next weekend’s race (si.com).
