Denny's Feel Good Win

Denny Hamlin burns it down after winning the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday afternoon! (Photo: Justin Sheldon - The Podium Finish

Pennzoil 400:

Denny Hamlin captured the win Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to visit victory lane for the first time in 2026. The win, Hamlin's 61st career win, puts him in a sole position of 10th on the NASCAR Cup Series all-time win list, breaking a tie with Kevin Harvick. It was also Hamlin's second straight win in Sin City, and his first after his heartbreaking title loss at the end of 2025 and after tragically losing his father this offseason in a house fire. It was definitely a feel-good for Hamlin, his family, and the larger NASCAR community.

Sunday's race delivered a quintessential and good mile-and-a-half race for this generation of race car. Once again, Goodyear also delivered an exceptional tire that required driver management, A+ pit stops, and the right strategy calls at the right times throughout the 400 miles in Vegas. This made for some solid racing throughout the 267 laps, as drivers had to manage their tires and search for grip from the bottom lane to the top. We had a smattering of comers and goers throughout the day, and stiff competition for the lead. At first glance, you may think this was a snooze-fest of a race. Sure, there was only caution (and it wasn't that "exciting"), and Hamlin did dominate, but as a racing purist fan (aside from stage racing), this was a good old-fashioned driver's manhandling their cars from green flag to checkered flag. Moreover, Hamlin got busted for speeding on pit road after stage one and drove his way back up to the top for the stage two conclusion. Once stage three got underway, he methodically ticked off the final few competitors to regain the top spot. After the last restart of the day, Hamlin took off and strategically managed his speed, kept his tires under him, held off a hard-charging Chase Elliott over the last 10 laps, and captured his first win of the 2026 campaign.

Next up, we have all three national touring series back in action at the "Lady in Black," Darlington Raceway. The Craftsman Truck Series kicks off the weekend on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. EST on FS1 with the Buckle Up South Carolina 200. The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series takes to the track Saturday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. on The CW with the Sports Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200. As usual, the NASCAR Cup Series caps off the weekend on Sunday afternoon on FS1 at 3:00 p.m. EST.

Darlington Picks: Trucks = Corey Lajoie

NOAPS = Kyle Larson

Cup = Denny Hamlin