Denny Delivers in Vegas

Once again the NASCAR circuit turned to Las Vegas to play a spin on the points and seeing top contenders duke it out for the win and it once again was a familiar face that just 5 months ago took his car to victory lane to win #60: Denny Hamlin

Sure, Hamlin has made his career off not being a crowd pleaser but an all time great driver. Champion aside it is remarkable what Hamlin has been able to do throughout his career but especially in his 40s.

Since the start of the Gen 7 (Next Gen) car Hamlin has won 14 races and has been a perennial Championship contender. Where other veterans like Kyle Busch, Martin Trux and Kevin Harvick have struggled Hamlin has continued to persevere and show just his ability to use his mind to adapt to a car that was supposed to even the playing field.

It also was very emotional for Hamlin after the offseason loss he suffered with his dad Dennis Hamlin passing away in a house fire. He dedicated his 60th win to his dad coincidentally at the same track Las Vegas. He had his entire family there with him including his mother Mary Lou.

Mary Lou was also injured in the same house fire. Thankfully she has recovered and is enjoying seeing her son’s success continue. Hamlin is bound to be one of the top contenders competing for the Championship at season’s end.

Hendrick Close to Breakthrough

Chevrolet introduced a new body for the 2026 season and early returns have teams like Trackhouse and RCR way behind the curve. Hendrick Motorsports has been decent but never spectacular and have not yet won in the Cup series yet.

Hendrick brought speed to Las Vegas atleast for race pace. Chase Elliott led the way with a 2nd place finish and with 5 more laps he could have pounced on Hamlin for the win. William Byron wasn’t for behind with a 3rd place result and actually led laps for the first time this season. Kyle Larson, always a strong contender at Vegas, came home im the 7th spot but his speed showed throughout.

It was a nice change of pace for the top chevy team. Many around the industry were wondering if it was time to panic but NASCAR is a long season marathon. Anytime a manufacturer changes their body or gets a new car it takes a little to wrap their heads around it but eventually the top teams figure it out.

Chastain vs Suarez

The other storyline coming out of Vegas was the scuffle between former teammates Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez. Suarez, a 2 time winner at Trackhouse, was let go last season and found a new home at Spire Motorsports. Both were battling quite a bit on Sunday and tempers seemed to boil over a little on pit road.

Suarez especially had a lot to say about his former comrade. Suarez called Chastain “two-faced” and that he “lost a lot of respect” for Chastain.

Chastain made it clear that this is something that isn’t new to him. “We dont get along, and that goes back longer than this weekend” said Chastain.

Whatever comes of this should be fun to see since the schedule turns to Martinsville and Bristol in short order. We might see much more than just a little shove.