Denny Hamlin became the 11th driver to reach the 60-win mark in the NASCAR Cup Series, prevailing Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in a win that secured his spot in the Championship 4.
The victory, his sixth of the season, pulls Hamlin into a tie on the Cup Series all-time win list with Kevin Harvick, who retired after the 2023 campaign.
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Hamlin has mentioned his goal of reaching the 60-win plateau multiple times as the season progressed and his win total grew. After his victory at Dover Motor Speedway in July, Hamlin indicated that he placed more value on accumulating wins than on chasing a Cup Series championship — an achievement that has eluded him so far in his 20-year Cup career.
“If we do, we do. If we don’t, we don’t. I care about wins,” Hamlin said. “Trust me, I want more trophies, more trophies, more trophies. When I’m done, I want to be in the top 10 of all-time winners. That will mean more than any other accomplishment I could have.”
Hamlin has reached all of his career milestones while driving the No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing, the team that brought him to NASCAR’s top division in 2006, when he won Rookie of the Year honors. JGR signed Hamlin to a two-year contract extension on July 25, all but ensuring that he will finish out his career with the organization.
Of the nine drivers ahead of Hamlin on the Cup Series’ all-time win list, eight are in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The only exception is former JGR teammate Kyle Busch, who is just ahead of him with 63 career wins, but remains active in the Cup Series and ineligible for Hall of Fame nomination.
This story will be updated.
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