As the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 commenced Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, some drivers hit it big in Sin City, while others have significant work ahead of them to clinch a Championship 4 spot.
A trip to Talladega Superspeedway is up next on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), but before heading to Alabama, let’s take a look at where things stand in the race for the Bill France Cup after a thriller in Las Vegas.
WINNER
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Sunday’s victory at Las Vegas meant a little extra for the future Hall of Famer. Choosing to take four tires in his final pit stop on a great call by crew chief Chris Gayle, Hamlin secured his first Championship 4 berth since 2021 in style, passing teammate Chase Briscoe with four laps to go to earn the 60th victory of his Cup Series career. Wiping tears away, Hamlin dedicated the pole-to-victory triumph to his father, Dennis, back at home.
Now locked into the Championship 4 at Phoenix, Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gayle will have a two-week head start to prepare as the 44-year-old pursues his elusive first title.
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
WHO’S HOT?
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Despite falling short of the win, the 2021 series champion turned in one of his most complete performances since his latest victory in May at Kansas Speedway. Larson led four times for 129 laps, won Stage 2 and banked 54 points as he finished second, tying Hamlin for the most Sunday evening. He’s finished in the top 10 his last four races, making it back-to-back runner-up efforts after falling short to Shane van Gisbergen last weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. Yung Money is heating up at the right time, and now has a 35-point cushion above the elimination line headed to Talladega, where he finished second in the spring.
Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Finishing third for the third consecutive week, Bell couldn’t quite avenge his defeat in this race last year. He earned 43 points, thrusting himself from four points below the cutline to 20 points above, capitalizing on mistakes from other playoff competitors. It’s the third time in a row that Bell has finished on the podium in the Las Vegas playoff race, giving the 30-year-old a bit of breathing room ahead of Talladega.
WHO’S NOT?
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford. The 2023 champion’s Las Vegas race went awry in Stage 1, suffering a left-front tire issue at Lap 72 from the 12th position. He pounded the Turn 4 outside wall, limping his battered machine back to pit road before his team determined that he could no longer continue, resulting in a last-place finish. Including Saturday sessions, it’s the third trip to Las Vegas in a row that Blaney has crashed, but this time it’s more costly with playoff implications. He sits minus-31 to the cutline, potentially backing the 31-year-old into a must-win situation at Talladega or Martinsville.
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Hopes of a Las Vegas victory were pried away from Byron with 30 laps to go as he ran into the pitting car of Ty Dillon while running second. The contact ripped the right front of Byron’s car apart, resulting in a 36th-place finish as he couldn’t continue. He led three times for 55 laps before the incident and had just surrendered the lead to teammate Larson. Despite earning 18 stage points, including a Stage 1 win, Byron drops to 15 points below the elimination line ahead of Talladega, but his back-to-back Daytona 500 wins prove he could be a factor next weekend in Alabama.
BUBBLE WATCH
| Rank | Driver | +/- |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | ADV |
| 2 | Kyle Larson | +35 |
| 3 | Christopher Bell | +20 |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe | +15 |
| CUTLINE | ||
| 5 | William Byron | -15 |
| 6 | Chase Elliott | -23 |
| 7 | Joey Logano | -24 |
| 8 | Ryan Blaney | -31 |
NASCAR INSIGHTS
Finishing 18th on Sunday at Las Vegas, issues on pit road were costly for Chase Elliott. According to NASCAR Insights, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team had the 28th-best pit crew in Sin City, headlined by an uncontrolled tire penalty at Lap 121. Elliott had to serve a pass-through penalty under green, and while he got back on the lead lap, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native could never return to the winning mix. Conversely, Joey Logano had the 26th-best pit crew on Sunday, but a late two-tire call from crew chief Paul Wolfe got the No. 22 team up to sixth after 267 laps.
QUOTABLE
“It definitely means a lot. This is the point where I kind of give the fans some [expletive], but not today. I appreciate all of you so much. Yeah, obviously want to say hi to my dad, family back at home. All the friends that came out here for Vegas, hoping we get 60. I didn’t think we were. Put the pedal down the last 10 laps, made it happen … if you would have asked me yesterday, I would have said no. Just super proud of this team for making the adjustments they did.” — Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, on winning his 60th career race to clinch a Championship 4 spot.
NEXT RACE
For the first time, Talladega Superspeedway’s fall date slides into the Round of 8, creating even more unpredictability with just three races remaining in the 2025 season. Talladega offers an opportunity for any playoff driver to turn their Round of 8 fortunes around. Keep an eye out for Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney: Logano led 24 laps in the spring race before a disqualification derailed a top five, while Blaney won this race in 2023. Teammate Austin Cindric wound up winning in April, further evidencing that Team Penske is the likely organization to beat.
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