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By Saajan Jogia
Sports Contributing Writer
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NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin described his win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway as a blur, following his decision to adopt a different strategy after leading the race for the last nine laps. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver secured his 60th Cup win and advanced into the Championship 4.
Hamlin didn't expect to win before the race, but in the final stage, a late restart positioned him for the win after he overtook Kyle Larson and teammate Chase Briscoe. The 44-year-old driver revealed how those last few laps went so quickly as his car supported him in executing a different strategy. Speaking on the SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, he said:
“I can’t believe, I can’t process, I don’t know what happened. It’s all a blur. That was one of the very few moments in which I did not think. That entire last 10 laps, I did not think whatsoever, I just did. I said, ‘Alright, this is what I need to do to win this race. I’m gonna run this line, I’m gonna approach it differently, I’m gonna hold the cast down.’ My car was just phenomenal. I just couldn’t believe that we were able to make the moves that we were to win that race.”
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He added:
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“I can’t wait to watch it back. I can’t process everything that happened, I need to see it again because when you’re on the field, it happens so quickly. What a way to win 60. That was crazy. If I won it at like a Talladega, that’s one thing. To come back from 10th with 20 to go, I can’t believe it, and I can’t put it into words how much it means to me.”
Hamlin was in tears after entering the list of top ten NASCAR drivers with the most Cup Series victories. The emotional driver dedicated the win to his father, Dennis, who is not keeping well. Newsweek Sports reported Hamlin's comments after the race:
“This win means a lot, this is the point where I kind of give the fans some [expletive], but not today, I appreciate you all so much.
“Obviously, just want to say ‘hi’ to my dad and family back at home. We were hoping to get 60 [wins] today, but I didn’t think we were. Just put the pedal down those last 10 laps and made it happen.”
Hamlin credited his crew chief, Chris Gayle, for turning the situation around on the final stop. He added:
"Chris did an amazing job on that final stop, getting the car just right, and I just held it down. That’s all I could do, just go for it. I felt like I had nothing to lose, just go for it and try to punch a ticket now, and it feels great.
“If you had asked me yesterday, I would have said no [about his chance of winning the race]. Just super proud of the team for making all the adjustments they did and the pit crew for doing a great job all day.”
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