AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

NASCAR at Las Vegas 2021 Results: Denny Hamlin Wins, Secures Spot in Round of 8

Joseph Zucker

Denny Hamlin punched his ticket to the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a victory Sunday in the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Hamlin held off Chase Elliott for the checkered flag, and Kyle Busch was a distant third place. Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five.

It was a dominant display from Hamlin. He led 137 of the race's 267 laps.

South Point 400 Leaderboard

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Chase Elliott

3. Kyle Busch

4. Martin Truex Jr.

5. Ryan Blaney

6. Tyler Reddick

7. Brad Keselowski

8. Kurt Busch

9. Kevin Harvick

10. Kyle Larson

Full leaderboard available at NASCAR.com

Less than two seconds separated Hamlin and Elliott as the final stage neared its conclusion, but the gap was far wider than that time would indicate. 

With two laps remaining, Elliott had chipped away at Hamlin's lead a bit to raise some hope that a dramatic closing sequence was in store. Instead, Hamlin comfortably cruised to the finish line.

The round of 12 began as the round of 16 did. Hamlin won the Cook Out Southern 500 to earn passage to the next stage, and he pulled it off again. 

There's still something to gain over the next two weeks since he can earn valuable points to remain at the top of the standings. But Sunday's outcome will have removed a major weight from his shoulders.

One mistake can be all it takes for a driver to watch his title hopes go up in smoke at this stage of the season. There isn't much time to recover from a poor finish.

That's the situation Christopher Bell is facing after winding up 24th on Sunday.

Bell experienced some issues with the No. 20 car midway through the race that required work on pit road. The stage break allowed for a little more time to address the damage, but Bell was still unable to beat the caution car. As a result, he fell a lap down and was unable to fight his way back.

Kevin Harvick's day would've gone far worse if he hadn't managed to regain control when he began sliding a bit in the second stage.

The 2014 champion also shook off some minor problems he had with the No. 4 car en route to a ninth-place finish.

Here's how things stand in the playoffs:

For the 11 drivers other than Hamlin still in the hunt for the round of eight, two races remain to either earn a critical victory or secure the necessary points to advance. The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for the YellaWood 500 on Oct. 3.

The unpredictability of Talladega could be the perfect thing to upend the current order.

   

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