Hamlin Holds-Off Elliott For Las Vegas Victory

Four drivers were eliminated from the NASCAR Playoffs following the cut-off race at Bristol Motor Speedway last week. Michael McDowell, Kurt Busch, Tyler Reddick, and Aric Almirola had their championship dreams crushed after failing to advance, while the remaining 12 drivers went to Las Vegas to kick off a very challenging second round.

LAP 1: Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney made up the front row and led the field to the green flag. Blaney passed Larson on the backstretch to claim the lead.

LAP 7: As Blaney’s #12 Ford Mustang began to fade, he was passed by Denny Hamlin for the top spot.

CAUTION – LAP 25: The yellow flag waved for the competition caution so teams could check tire wear and make adjustments. Kyle Larson won the race off pit road and assumed the top spot for the rest of the segment.

STAGE 1 END – LAP 80: Kyle Larson won the stage, picking up a playoff point to help carry him through to the next round. Behind him, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and William Byron rounded out the Top 5 and also collected points.

CAUTION – LAP 93: The first and only incident-related caution came when the right-front wheel on the #15 of Joey Gase fell of the car. Gase was sent spinning backwards into the SAFER barrier where the car went airborne. Gase was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, but luckily was discharged the following day without major injury.

STAGE 2 END – LAP 160: Following a round of green-flag pit stops, Denny Hamlin cycled to the lead and picked up the stage victory. Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Joey Logano completed the Top 5 at the end of the stage. Hamlin’s #11 remained in P1 for the majority of the final segment.

LAP 219: After the final round of pit stops cycled through, Chase Elliott in the #9 Chevrolet found himself running down Hamlin for the win – a pursuit that continued throughout the final 40 laps.

CHECKERED FLAG – LAP 267: In the end, Hamlin was able to hold-off Elliott, crossing the line just 0.3 seconds ahead of the Chevy driver. This was Hamlin’s 2nd victory of the season and guarantees him a spot in the next round.

RESULTS:

1. Denny Hamlin
2. Chase Elliott
3. Kyle Busch
4. Martin Truex Jr
5. Ryan Blaney
6. Tyler Reddick
7. Brad Keselowski
8. Kurt Busch
9. Kevin Harvick
10. Kyle Larson
11. Joey Logano
12. Matt DiBenedetto
13. Austin Dillon
14. Chase Briscoe
15. Daniel Suareaz
16. Bubba Wallace
17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
18. William Byron
19. Aric Almirola
20. Ryan Newman
21. Michael McDowell
22. Alex Bowman
23. Ross Chastain
24. Christopher Bell
25. Chris Buescher
26. Erik Jones
27. Anthony Alfredo
28. Ryan Preece
29. Cole Custer
30. Corey Lajoie
31. Cody Ware
32. Justin Haley
33. BJ McLeod
34. Quin Houff
35. Garrett Smithley
36. Josh Bilicki
37. Joey Gase
38. JJ Yeley