Denny Hamlin wins at Las Vegas to clinch spot in NASCAR Championship 4

NASCAR Cup Series driver Daniel Suarez (99) leads the field for the restart during the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Oct 12: Denny Hamlin celebrates winning the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Denny Hamlin’s quest for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship took another step forward as the veteran racer outdueled the field Sunday, Oct. 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to win the South Point 400 and clinch a berth in the Championship 4.

Hamlin’s Vegas victory was also a major milestone: the 60th of his Cup Series career, tying him with Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time list.

Hamlin, who turns 45 on Nov. 18, is a lock for the NASCAR Hall of Fame when his driving career comes to an end, but the one thing missing from his résumé is a championship. Hamlin made the final four for three consecutive years between 2019-21 but was eliminated in the Round of 8 each of the last three years.

He’ll get another shot at his first title in three weeks at Phoenix Raceway, while he awaits the other three championship contenders.

LAS VEGAS RESULTS: Full finishing order from South Point 400

Following two late cautions, one for a devastating crash for playoff driver William Byron, the field was bunched up on a restart with less than 15 laps remaining. Playoff drivers Chase Briscoe and Joey Logano elected to take two tires on their final pit stops to put themselves on the front row for the restart, while most of the other contenders took four tires.

Briscoe’s gamble initially paid off as he shot to the lead, but as the laps wound down, first Kyle Larson and then Hamlin closed in. Hamlin eventually passed Larson and then, with four laps remaining, he sailed past Briscoe, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate. Hamlin then pulled away from Larson to win by 1.533 seconds.

“I just put the pedal down those last 10 laps and made it happen,” an emotional Hamlin said after climbing out of his car. “All I could do was go for it, I felt like I had nothing to lose, all I could do was go for it and punch the ticket now. Man, this one feels great.”

Larson finished second, Christopher Bell third, Briscoe fourth and Tyler Reddick fifth. Logano, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top 10.

“I thought we did everything that we could do," Larson said. "The Toyota’s were really fast for the short-run there. I saw the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin, race winner) line up behind me and I knew he’d be difficult to hold off."

Two playoff drivers – Byron and Ryan Blaney – took severe hits to their championship hopes at Las Vegas and will face uphill battles to make the Championship 4. Blaney finished last after crashing in Stage 1. Byron, meanwhile, had led 55 laps and one was of the top contenders to win before he crashed during the second half of Stage 3. Byron finished 36th of 38 drivers.

NASCAR playoff standings after Las Vegas race

Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe join Hamlin in the top four of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings, following Sunday's race. Briscoe has a 15-point cushion over fifth-ranked William Byron.

Denny Hamlin wins NASCAR playoff race at Las Vegas

Hamlin passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe for the lead with four laps remaining in the South Point 400 and held off Kyle Larson to take the checkered flag and clinch a berth in the NASCAR Championship Race.

Hamlin's win was the 60th of his Cup Series career, tying Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time list.

Playoff driver William Byron crashes out of Las Vegas race

William Byron who had led 55 laps of the South Point 400 slammed into Ty Dillon, who slowed to come to pit road right in front him at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Byron had been running second to teammate Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson when he came around a turn in his No. 24 Chevrolet with the sun in his eyes and Ty Dillon in his lane. Byron had no opportunity to slow down and plowed hard into Dillon's No. 10 Chevy, knocking them both out of the race.

"I never saw him (Ty Dillon) wave. I didn’t see any indication that he was pitting," Byron said after being checked and released from the infield care center. "It was probably 12 to 15 laps after we had pitted, so I thought the cycle was fully over. Nobody said anything to my spotter, from what I know. I had zero idea.

"I’m just devastated. I had no indication. Obviously, I wouldn’t have just driven full-speed into the back of him like that.”

Byron became the second playoff driver to crash at Las Vegas, following Ryan Blaney in Stage 1. Less than 30 laps remain in the race.

NASCAR Las Vegas race: Lap 210 update

Kyle Larson has continued to lead every lap after winning Stage 2 of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Larson has led 117 laps today with 57 laps remaining in the race. William Byron runs second, Denny Hamlin third, Christopher Bell fourth and Ty Gibbs fifth.

Kyle Larson wins Stage 2 of Las Vegas playoff race

Kyle Larson matched his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron by earning a stage win in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Larson took the lead to begin the segment and proceeded to lead 74 laps in the stage.

Tyler Reddick finished second, William Byron third, Denny Hamlin fourth and Chase Briscoe fifth. Reddick is the only driver in the top five not still competing for a championship. Ty Gibbs finished sixth followed by Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano and Carson Hocevar.

NASCAR Las Vegas race: Lap 115 update

Kyle Larson has led every lap so far of Stage 2 of the South Point 400 after taking the lead on a restart to begin the segment. Larson started on the front row of the restart alongside his Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, who made a fantastic save on the start when Chase Briscoe's shove nearly pushed him into the infield.

Byron runs second, Tyler Reddick third, Briscoe fourth, Denny Hamlin fifth and Chase Elliott sixth with green flag pit stops coming up.

William Byron wins Stage 1 of Las Vegas playoff race

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron won the opening stage of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Byron outdueled the field on a restart with three laps remaining in the segment following a caution for Ryan Blaney's crash. Byron led 39 of 80 laps in Stage 1, while Chase Briscoe led 35.

Seven of the eight remaining playoff drivers finished in the 10 of Stage 1, including the entire top five. Kyle Larson finished second, ahead of Briscoe, Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott. Bubba Wallace, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, Ty Gibbs and Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.

Ryan Blaney hits the wall, out Las Vegas playoff race

Ryan Blaney's playoff position took a massive hit when the Team Penske driver slammed into the outside wall between Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 72 of the South Point 400. Blaney's No. 12 Ford cut a left front tire, and the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion lost steering as the car careened straight into the wall. While Blaney was able to get his car to pit road, the damage was insurmountable, and he was forced to exit the race early – the first of the remaining eight playoff drivers to have issues at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

During the caution, the majority of the field came down pit road for fuel and tires. The opening stage will conclude with a three-lap shootout. Hendrick Motorsport driers William Byron and Kyle Larson lead the field.

NASCAR Las Vegas race: Lap 60 update

William Byron took the lead on Lap 41 following green flag pit stops and has maintained the top spot with 20 laps remaining in the opening statge of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Tyler Reddick runs second, followed by Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott and Chase Briscoe.

NASCAR Las Vegas race: Lap 20 update

Chase Briscoe took the lead from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and pole winner Denny Hamlin in Turn 4 on the opening lap and has kept his the playoff racer at bay through 20 laps of the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Chase Elliott runs third, William Byron fourth and Christopher Bell fifth.

What time does the NASCAR playoff race at Las Vegas start?

The South Point 400 is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

What TV channel is the NASCAR playoff race at Las Vegas on?

The South Point 400 will be broadcast on USA Network, the channel for most of the Cup Series playoffs. Pre-race coverage will start at 5 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR playoff race at Las Vegas?

Yes, the South Point 400 will be streamed on Peacock, HBO Max, Sling TV and Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.

Stream the NASCAR playoff race at Las Vegas on Fubo

How many laps is the NASCAR playoff race at Las Vegas?

The South Point 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile track for a total of 400.5 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 80 laps; Stage 2: 85 laps; Stage 3: 102 laps.

NASCAR Cup Series playoff standings

Here's how things look as the playoff field begins the Round of 8. The bottom four drivers will be eliminated after Martinsville.

Denny Hamlin
Ryan Blaney (+2)
Kyle Larson (+4)
William Byron (+4)
Christopher Bell (+8)
Chase Elliott (+18)
Chase Briscoe (+18)
Joey Logano (+28)

Who won the NASCAR playoff race at Las Vegas last year?

Joey Logano sealed his spot in the Championship 4 - and an eventual Cup Series title - with a tight race to the finish against Christopher Bell. Logano took the win by 0.662 seconds over the polesitter after starting in 10th. Bell, Daniel Suarez, William Byron and Alex Bowman rounded out the top five.

NASCAR playoff race at Las Vegas starting lineup