DENNY HAMLIN

Chase Elliott salvaged a crummy day for Hendrick Motorsports and interrupted a potential Toyota rout by winning the rain-drenched race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday night.

LEBANON, Tenn. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole at Nashville Superspeedway when a surprise rain shower washed out the second round of Saturday qualifying. The session was halted right before the fastest 10 drivers were set for the shootout to determine who will lead the field to green Sunday. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing on the front row next to Joey Logano in the No. The car has been an equalizer that has allowed smaller teams to compete — for example, both Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain of Trackhouse Racing advanced to the second round ahead of the rain. The top 10 consisted of three Toyota drivers, three Ford drivers and four Chevrolet drivers.

Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole at Nashville Superspeedway when a surprise rain shower washed out the second round of qualifying.

Hamlin spent the rest of the afternoon trying to exact some revenge. At one point, he nearly drove Chastain into the grass along the backstretch while they were running side by side. Elliott nearly nudged Chastain into the wall before Hamlin, right behind them, took another swipe at the No. “It’s good he takes responsibility," Hamlin said of Chastain, "but ultimately it ruined our day.”Ruined his night, too. “We all have learned the hard way," Hamlin said.

Denny Hamlin has warned Ross Chastain that there's still some retribution due after the eighth-generation watermelon farmer wrecked him in Sunday's race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

MADISON, Ill. — (AP) — Joey Logano jockeyed for the lead with Kyle Busch in overtime, got around him for good just before the white flag flew and cruised to the victory Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway. That led to a green-white-checkered finish at the 1 1/4-mile hairpin east of St. Louis, and Busch chose the outside lane as Logano drove his No. ZANE-Y DEBUTZane Smith, who was ninth in the Truck Series race Saturday, made his Cup Series debut in place of Chris Buescher, who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. MILESTONE MOMENTMartin Truex Jr. became the 32nd driver to make 600 starts in the Cup Series when he took the green flag. UP NEXTThe Cup Series heads to the road course at Sonoma in California’s wine country next Sunday before taking a week off.

Joey Logano jockeyed for the lead with Kyle Busch in overtime, got around him for good just before the white flag flew and cruised to the victory Sunday in the NASCAR Cup Series debut at World Wide Technology Raceway.

NASCAR is bringing its top series to World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis for the first time this weekend.

“The (Next Gen) car has less side force and less general downforce,” Hamlin said of all the wrecks. Just chaos.”Cup veteran Kevin Harvick expected as much after seeing the uncertainty the Next Gen car has brought this season. “To me, that was the most fun Charlotte race I’ve ever ran,” Briscoe said. You could throw sliders.”He offered high praise for the Next Gen car, too. I’d do another 600 miles for sure.”Hamlin acknowledged there is still a lot that teams needs to learn about the Next Gen car but said that will come in time.

NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600 was many things.

Hamlin won for the 48th time in the Cup Series, and for the time in a points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race featured a 12-car wreck and a magnificent crash that sent Chris Buescher's car flipping over five times before stopping upside down. In the overtime period Larson had the inside lane on the restart in overtime, but Austin Dillon got a push from the second row and soon was running four-wide along with Larson, Hamlin and Ross Chastain. I had to do what I had to do to win the race given where we are in points. We had a shot there to bring home another 600.”On the next restart Hamlin took the lead and held off Busch for the win.

Denny Hamlin held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in overtime to win the longest — and perhaps wildest — Coca-Cola 600 in history.

Kyle Larson is hoping a return to victory lane at the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday might propel him to a second straight NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Denny Hamlin didn't hold back following Sunday's ... late ... caution that nearly cost Ryan Blaney a million dollars.

NASCAR All Star Race Auto Racing Ryan Blaney (12) hold up the first place check while celebrating in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR All-Star auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 22, 2022. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (LM Otero)FORT WORTH, Texas — (AP) — Ryan Blaney is talking about framing the window net from his No. Even runner-up Denny Hamlin agreed to that, but was frustrated that Blaney wasn't black-flagged for dropping his window net when initially thinking that Sunday night's race was over. 12 crew was already celebrating the victory in the pits and Blaney had lowered the window net on the backstretch. Hamlin wrote in a tweet after the race that NASCAR "put Blaney in the situation he was in.

Ryan Blaney may frame that window net from his No. 12 Ford.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — (AP) — Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin founded 23XI Racing with a vision that extended far beyond the race track. “Obviously, they sat on the sidelines for the first year of this team," Hamlin said, "and I mentioned that in the media. You just pray for them.”Then, you do what Jordan and Hamlin have done: You try to change things for the better. The spirit was, ‘We’re a bunch of rebels, let’s go do this.’”Turns out the entire 23XI Racing team are rebels with a cause. “I’m certainly proud of what we’ve done and how we’ve built this team,” Hamlin said.

Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin founded 23XI Racing with a vision that extended far beyond the race track.

NASCAR Kansas Auto Racing Justin Haley (31), Denny Hamlin (11), and J.J. Yeley (15) head into Turn 1 during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, May 15, 2022. 45 car — one of the numbers that Jordan wore during his NBA career — to a stop at the start-finish line after his first win at Kansas Speedway. His older brother, Kurt, beat him to the line to win the second stage with Elliott again coming across in third. Larson kept riding the top line around the mile-and-a-half oval, often brushing the wall, while Kurt Busch was able to put his Toyota just about anywhere he wanted. UP NEXTThe series takes a regular-season break before the Coca-Cola 600 and heads to Texas for next weekend's All-Star race.

Kurt Busch pinched his way past Kyle Larson for the lead with eight laps to go, then drove his gaudy Jordan Brand-styled car away from the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion to win Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway.

DARLINGTON, S.C. — (AP) — Former NASCAR Cup Series champions Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick will start at the rear of the field Sunday at Darlington Raceway. Elliott and Harvick had Saturday in practice. Logano reached 170.720 mph and turned a fast lap of 28.805 seconds to clinch the top spot in qualifying, edging Kyle Larson. Elliott, Harvick and Hamlin couldn't say the same. Harvick blew a left-rear tire in practice and did enough damage that he was unable to make a qualifying attempt.

NASCAR Cup Series Dover Auto Racing Chase Elliott (9) races in the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Dover Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 1, 2022, in Dover, Del. — (AP) — Chase Elliott snapped a 26-race winless streak when the 2020 NASCAR champion pulled away down the stretch to win the Cup Series race on Monday at Dover Motor Speedway. Speedway Motorsports bought the track (Dover Motorsports) late last year. UP NEXTThe Cup Series races next Sunday at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. Toyota is set to celebrate its 1,500th NASCAR race during Darlington’s annual Throwback Weekend.

Chase Elliott snapped a 26-race winless streak when the 2020 NASCAR champion pulled away down the stretch to win the rain-delayed Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Martinsville Auto Racing Denny Hamlin, righ, greets fans before the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 9, 2022, in Martinsville, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber)DOVER, Del. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin said someone sent him a crass anti-Asian meme that poked fun at Kyle Larson's driving and out it went without a care — from his mobile phone to Twitter. Hamlin is headed to NASCAR-mandated sensitivity training after he posted the anti-Asian meme from the television comedy “Family Guy” to criticize Larson’s driving last weekend on the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway. I understand where they are with it,” Hamlin said Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway. I didn’t think this fell into that category,” Hamlin said.

Denny Hamlin says he's respects NASCAR's decision to begin sensitivity training after he posted a meme on Twitter that used a clip from the comedy “Family Guy” to mock reigning champion Kyle Larson.

Denny Hamlin said someone sent him a crass anti-Asian meme that poked fun at Kyle Larson's driving and out it went without a care — from his mobile phone to Twitter. “I thought it was hilarious," Hamlin said. NASCAR and scores of fans and casual observers who lashed out at Hamlin for linking Larson's ancestry — he's half Japanese — with an offensive stereotype linked to Asian drivers certainly didn't find the meme funny.

— (AP) — Chris Buescher was the surprise pole winner Saturday at Dover Motor Speedway, turning a lap of 160.149 mph to win his first career top spot. The RFK Racing driver will be joined on the front row by Denny Hamlin, ordered this week by NASCAR to begin sensitivity training after he posted an anti-Asian meme. “Pretty cool of RFK to get our first pole,” Buescher said. “It’s a pretty cool start for us.”Buescher also earned the first pole for RFK Racing in the No. Keselowski and Buescher opened strong for RFK Racing when they won the 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway in February.

NASCAR Martinsville Auto Racing Denny Hamlin, righ, greets fans before the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 9, 2022, in Martinsville, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber)CHARLOTTE, N.C. — (AP) — NASCAR on Tuesday ordered Denny Hamlin to begin sensitivity training this week after he posted an anti-Asian meme from the television comedy “Family Guy” to criticize Kyle Larson's driving on the last lap at Talladega Superspeedway over the weekend. It came across totally wrong.”Hamlin is a three-time Daytona 500 winner who drives a Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Toyota said in a statement it supported NASCAR's punishment of Hamlin. “We have spoken with Denny Hamlin regarding his tweet from yesterday. Toyota supports NASCAR’s decision to mandate sensitivity training for Denny and we will all move forward together," the automaker said.

NASCAR has ordered Denny Hamlin to begin sensitivity training this week after he posted a meme on Twitter that used a clip from the comedy “Family Guy” to mock reigning champion Kyle Larson.

Christopher Bell won the pole at Talladega Superspeedway by turning the fastest lap as the final driver to qualify.

Kyle Busch is uncertain about his future with both Joe Gibbs Racing and in NASCAR.

Bubba Wallace still has the voice message Michael Jordan left him after Wallace’s first Cup Series victory.

Kyle Busch slipped past the spinning cars of Tyler Reddick and Chase Briscoe to steal his first Cup win of the season Sunday night on slick, wet, dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway.

Joey Logano has had his share of conflict during a career that began with his appointment as “Sliced Bread” upon arrival.

William Byron took the lead on pit road after Stage 2 pit stops and held it pretty much the rest of the way at Martinsville Speedway to become the first repeat winner this season in NASCAR’s Cup Series.

That physicality is likely to be more evident than anywhere at Martinsville Speedway, the circuit's shortest track at 0.526 miles and oldest at 75 years. Last week at Richmond, he ticked off Ryan Blaney by moving him up the track. “I feel like it’s going to be a little bit more physical tomorrow night, not only because it’s 100 laps shorter. “That’s what Martinsville is all about, and I think you get a car that can take it, you’re gonna see more of it. ... Just like last week at Richmond, Martin Truex Jr. arrives having won three of the last five races here.

NASCAR's top drivers expect some beating and banging to be on the menu when they race at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday night.

Kevin Harvick is a fading star trying to keep pace in a NASCAR that now seems more suited for younger drivers.

RICHMOND, Va. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin ran down William Byron with five laps to go Sunday and ended the slowest start to his career with a victory in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway. He then held off a challenge from Kevin Harvick, a three-time winner at Richmond. Just drove as hard as I could,” Hamlin said after climbing from his car, crediting his team for not giving up. “There was no doubt in my mind, maybe just a little, but they got this car right there towards the end. Harvick was second, followed by Byron, Truex and Kyle Larson.

Denny Hamlin ran down William Byron with five laps to go and ended the slowest start to a season of his career with a victory in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway.

RICHMOND, Va. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin would love to think that a visit to his home track will produce a finish that finally gets his season heading in the right direction. Hamlin stands 22nd in points after six races and has failed to finish three races. With trying the figure out the new car, every week is like starting over. We are trying to find that point where we are good, and we can build off of that,” he said. Hamlin, who had 25 top-10 runs in 36 races last year, has yet to record any.

Martin Truex Jr. left Richmond Raceway a winner in his last visit to the Virginia short track, a playofff victory last September that helped him get into NASCAR's championship round and showed the veteran has plenty left in his tank. The 41-year-old Truex is in the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and hasn't decided how long he wants to continue his career. There is no wait-and-see going on with Truex, who in his 17th full Cup Series season is grappling with NASCAR's new Next Gen car.

Ryan Blaney recovered from a spin in practice to win the pole for Sunday’s race at Circuit of the Americas.

Brad Keselowski was optimistic he can overcome a knee-buckling penalty that potentially ended any championship chances a mere five races into his first season as a Cup team owner. NASCAR this week said an inspection at its North Carolina facility uncovered an illegal modification to the No. 6 Ford — a major infraction under tightened rules for the new Next Gen racecar. The Next Gen is primarily a spec car comprised of vendor-supplied parts and NASCAR will not permit any tinkering.

William Byron has managed to hold off the freight train behind him, taking the checkered flag for his third NASCAR Cup victory at Atlnta Motor Speedway.

Tyler Reddick is enjoying his status among NASCAR’s fastest drivers through the season’s first three races.

Hamlin, Chastain, Burton and Byron sustained enough damage to their cars that they were knocked out before the 100-lap mark. He was trying to join Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty as the only drivers to win the 500 at least four times. But Hamlin ended up as a spectator at Daytona for the first time Sunday. He stuck around to watch his newly expanded team, 23XI Racing he created with NBA legend Michael Jordan. ___More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2022 The Associated Press.

Denny Hamlin crashed out of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, ending his bid for a fourth victory in NASCAR’s premier event.

The NASCAR season opens with the Daytona 500 on Sunday, where more than 120,000 spectators are expected to watch reigning Cup champion Kyle Larson lead the field to green.

Ty Gibbs is stepping into arguably the top ride in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series.

Bubba Wallace revisits his role in the national racial reckoning in an upcoming Netflix documentary.

Michael McDowell opened the first Daytona 500 practice session with a top speed of 192.736 mph.

NASCAR was long overdue to revamp its aging, arguably outdated race car.

Matt Kaulig used the success of his LeafFilter company to branch into sports team ownership, a fitting natural progression for the former Akron quarterback.

NASCAR veteran Aric Almirola will retire from competition at the end of the 2022 season to spend more time with his young family.

Before he headed onto the track for the biggest race of his career, Kyle Larson heard Mario Andretti praise him as one of the most well-rounded drivers in all of motorsports.

Kyle Larson closed out his comeback season in NASCAR with his first national title.

Phoenix Raceway will finally get to host championship weekend in front of a packed house.

Always a threat on the track, Truex is the most unassuming championship contender in Cup. But last season, Truex stumbled in the first season he was paired with crew chief James Small. He has 28 of his 31 career wins since 2016 and is a perennial championship contender. JGR teammate Hamlin has two wins and time is running short for the veteran to win his first Cup championship. With a win, Truex would join Kyle Busch as the only active drivers with two championships.

Martin Truex Jr. is racing for his second career NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Alex Bowman spun Denny Hamlin from the lead with six laps remaining at Martinsville Speedway and then went on to win his fourth race of the season.

Bowman infuriated championship contender Denny Hamlin with six laps remaining Sunday at Martinsville Speedway when he spun Hamlin out of the lead. It sent the race into overtime, which Bowman won for his fourth victory of the season. Bowman has insisted the contact that spun Hamlin from the lead was accidental, but Hamlin still attacked Bowman's talent level. “Look, he’s won four races this year. Reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott and title favorite Kyle Larson in a pair of Chevrolets will square off against Toyotas driven by teammates Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. of Joe Gibbs Racing.

It's time to put up or shut up, Denny Hamlin. Long recognized alongside Mark Martin as the greatest NASCAR driver to never win a championship, Hamlin gets a fifth try Sunday to at long last grab that elusive Cup Series title. Johnson sliced Hamlin's points lead by more than half to 15 points that day, but more importantly he stripped Hamlin of his confidence headed into the finale.

It is a winner-take-all conclusion at sold-out Phoenix, where Elliott's victory a year ago clinched the first Cup championship for NASCAR's most popular driver. “My fans don’t care either, by the way.”This championship is Hendrick vs. Gibbs in head-to-head competition, but four drivers will be individually racing for NASCAR's top prize. Hamlin led the Cup standings for 22 consecutive weeks but lost the regular-season championship to Larson over the final three weeks. It's overshadowed Elliott's championship season, but he was a late bloomer last season, when he ended Hendrick's three-year losing shutout from the championship race. As seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson drove his final NASCAR races, Elliott stepped up for Hendrick and won three of the final five races for his first Cup.

Rick Hendrick, the winningest team owner in NASCAR history, is sending Kyle Larson and reigning Cup champion Chase Elliott to Phoenix Raceway next Sunday in search of a 14th title for mighty Hendrick Motorsports. It is a winner-take-all conclusion at sold-out Phoenix, where Elliott's victory a year ago clinched the first Cup championship for NASCAR's most popular driver. “My fans don’t care either, by the way.”This championship is Hendrick vs. Gibbs in head-to-head competition, but four drivers will be individually racing for NASCAR's top prize. It's overshadowed Elliott's championship season, but he was a late bloomer last season, when he ended Hendrick's three-year losing shutout from the championship race. As seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson drove his final NASCAR races, Elliott stepped up for Hendrick and won three of the final five races for his first Cup.

The NASCAR championship will pit Rick Hendrick against Joe Gibbs as both team owners put a pair of drivers in the final four.

It sent the race into overtime and Bowman held off Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski to win. The well-filled grandstands erupted in cheers when Bowman spun Hamlin, and loudly booed him when he was interviewed over the public address system. Both he and Larson, the heavy favorite and a nine-race winner, have never won a NASCAR championship. UP NEXT: The championship finale Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, where Elliott won the race last year to claim his first Cup championship. Truex won in March.

Alex Bowman spun Denny Hamlin out of the lead at Martinsville Speedway and then won in overtime as the field for NASCAR's championship race was set Sunday.

Brad Keselowski is in the final two races of his NASCAR career with Team Penske and would love nothing more than to close his 12-year run with another Cup championship.

Kyle Larson drove to his ninth victory of the season and most meaningful to date in his new job with Hendrick Motorsports.

A conversation on driver code and on-track etiquette is raging in NASCAR, and with it comes debate about the expectations of non-playoff drivers.

Tensions are high at every level of NASCAR as its grueling, 11-month season enters the homestretch with three weeks remaining to crown three series champions. All eyes had been on feuding drivers Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick, but NASCAR last week demanded the they knock it off — a directive that sucked all the drama out of what could have been a nail-biting rivalry capable of derailing Elliott's shot at a second consecutive Cup Series title. Are drivers taking too many risks trying to make it to the championship round?

FORT WORTH, Texas — (AP) — Kyle Larson claimed the first of four championship-contending spots in NASCAR's season finale with a dominating victory at Texas on Sunday to start the round of eight in the playoffs. There were two laps remaining on the final restart, and Larson was able to stay out in front of teammate William Byron. The seven remaining playoff contenders leave Texas with two more chances to get into the championship four, with Kansas and Martinsville left before the finale. Texas had always been the eighth of the final 10 races, and the middle race of the third and final elimination round, before this season. He also won at Texas in the $1 million, non-points All-Star race in June.

The third round of NASCAR's playoffs are getting started in Texas.

Kyle Larson rallied from early electrical issues Sunday to win for the seventh time this season and storm into the third round of NASCAR’s playoffs.

Kevin Harvick has never been knocked out of the playoffs in the second round since NASCAR introduced the format in 2014.

It's been nearly 16 months since Bubba Wallace was waiting out a rainstorm in his motorhome in the Talladega Superspeedway infield when NASCAR informed its only full-time Black driver that a noose had been found in his garage stall. Wallace never saw the noose, never even stepped foot in the garage. It wasn't Wallace who called in the FBI — NASCAR did that — and from what he'd been told, Wallace was led to believe he'd been the victim of a hate crime.

Wallace is in his first season driving for 23X1 Racing, a team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan. Later he dedicated the win to kids, saying they shouldn't "let the nonsense get to you."

NASCAR Talladega Auto Racing Bubba Wallace celebrates next to the trophy after winning a NASCAR Cup series auto race Monday, Oct. 4, 2021, in Talladega, Ala. Wallace had driven through a crash and to the front of the field five laps before the second rain stoppage of the race. Wallace is in his first season driving for 23X1 Racing, a team owned by both Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan. Glad I was a witness.”In June 2020 at Talladega, NASCAR discovered a noose in the garage stall assigned to Wallace. He said he never thought about the significance of earning his first career Cup race at the same track in his native Alabama; he was born in Mobile.

Bubba Wallace has become the second Black driver to win a NASCAR Cup Series race.

NASCAR Talladega Auto Racing Team members walk through pit row in the rain before a NASCAR Cup series auto race Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/John Amis) (John Amis)TALLADEGA, Ala. — (AP) — NASCAR's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway was washed out and rescheduled for Monday because persistent rain backed the series into too tight of a window to run as scheduled. Talladega does not have lights — the Xfinity Series race on Saturday ended six laps early because of impending darkness — and the lengthy delay meant NASCAR would flirt with sunset if it even started the race. Compounding the scheduling issue was that the Cup Series race was the lead-in to NBC's airing Sunday night of Tom Brady's return to New England, an NFL game that would have taken priority over the race. Both the Truck Series race and Xfinity Series race doubleheader on Saturday were crash-marred and won by non-playoff drivers. ___More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

NASCAR Talladega Auto Racing Team members walk through pit row in the rain before a NASCAR Cup series auto race Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, in Talladega, Ala. (AP Photo/John Amis) (John Amis)TALLADEGA, Ala. — (AP) — The start of Sunday's playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway has been delayed by rain and NBC has a tight television window for the important NASCAR race because of the evening airing of Tom Brady's return to New England. Drivers have been on edge headed into Sunday's race because of the unpredictability of the 2.66-mile superspeedway and the risks of pack racing. Both the Truck Series race and Xfinity Series race doubleheader on Saturday were crash-marred and won by non-playoff drivers. “I'm going into a superspeedway race below the cutoff line, so it's definitely a stressful weekend,” Alex Bowman, ranked 11th out of 12 drivers, said before Sunday's race. ___More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsCopyright 2021 The Associated Press.

TALLADEGA, Ala. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin is already through to the third round of NASCAR's playoffs with nothing to worry about at Talladega Superspeedway. ODDS AND ENDSDenny Hamlin is the 9/5 favorite to win Talladega, according to FanDuel. Since the start of the playoffs in 2004 the winner of the Talladega playoff race has never gone on to win the Cup title. The Talladega winner did finish second in the final standings, twice. ... A non-playoff driver has won Talladega five times in 17 races.

NASCAR's playoffs shift to Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday for the middle race of the second round.

LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Denny Hamlin will reach the third round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs next month having faced the make-or-break pressure of the postseason only twice. Two playoff races, two tickets punched — and four ensuing opportunities to race with no weight on Hamlin's shoulders. “It’s just such an advantage to win any race in the playoffs, but certainly the first race of any round,” said Chris Gabehart, Hamlin’s crew chief. Before Sunday's race in Vegas, Harvick compared his dialogue with Elliott to a conversation with his own 9-year-old son, Keelan. “From my standpoint, it’s a free pass to go there and try to lead every lap (and) win the race,” Hamlin said.

Denny Hamlin will reach the third round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs next month having faced the make-or-break pressure of the postseason only twice.

LAS VEGAS — (AP) — Denny Hamlin earned his first career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday night, holding off Chase Elliott and kicking off the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with his second win in September. A breakthrough victory in Vegas proves Hamlin has emerged as a serious contender for his first Cup Series championship after a 17-year career filled with near-misses. “It feels so good to win in Vegas,” Hamlin said. The Las Vegas natives have been racing this track on the far north end of Las Vegas Boulevard since it opened as a 1 1/2-mile oval in 1996. UP NEXT: The NASCAR Cup Series playoff race continues at Talladega next Sunday.

NASCAR Richmond Auto Racing Denny Hamlin (11) and Martin Truex Jr., (19) lead the field st the start of the NASCAR Cup series auto race in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. Homestead was given a second chance for 2022 with an Oct. 23 race date that makes it the middle race of the third round of the playoffs. The 1.25-mile oval has held NASCAR national series races since 1997 and IndyCar the past six seasons. It is the only new track added to the 2022 Cup schedule. The Cup Series will be 36 races as always, but Pocono Raceway lost one of its two dates to get the race near St. Louis.

NASCAR Richmond Auto Racing Denny Hamlin (11) leads Kurt Busch (1) and Joey Logano (22) into turn one during the NASCAR Cup series auto race in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber)CHARLOTTE, N.C. — (AP) — NASCAR will open the 2022 season inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in one of the biggest shakeups to its schedule in years. The annual exhibition Clash, held at Daytona International Speedway since 1979, will shift to Los Angeles next year. The invitation-only race was always the kickoff to competitive NASCAR racing and held the week before the season-opening Daytona 500. “Los Angeles is synonymous with major sports and entertainment events, so we seized an innovative opportunity to showcase NASCAR at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR senior vice president of strategy and innovation.

RICHMOND, Va. — (AP) — Two races into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, regular-season champion Kyle Larson is still the points leader, but the stable of contenders at Joe Gibbs Racing is making the most noise with victories in the last two races. It was during that winless spell that Larson really asserted himself, winning four times. “We had a lot of tough luck and a lot of crashes and got caught in the rain a few times. “In general, I think we felt good coming into the playoffs. He led 197 laps on Saturday and won both stages, just as he had in April when he led 207 laps.

Martin Truex Jr. assumed the lead when Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding with about 50 laps to go and won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday night. The victory was the third for Truex in the last five races at Richmond. Truex led a 1-2-3 finish for JGR — the sixth in its history — with Denny Hamlin finishing second and Christopher Bell third.

DARLINGTON, S.C. — (AP) — Denny Hamlin held off Kyle Larson after their cars hit nose to tail racing to the finish line Sunday night in the Southern 500 to open the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. But Hamlin held firm up near the wall to take the checkered flag“He was going to have to go through me,” Hamlin said. Hamlin broke out ahead of Larson on the restart 36 laps from the end. Earlier, Daytona 500 winner Mike McDowell hit the wall on the backstretch on lap 30 and was done for the day. UP NEXTThe NASCAR Cup series playoffs continue at Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday.

Denny Hamlin gets first win of 2021 and advances to 2nd round of NASCAR playoffs

NASCAR Darlington Xfinity Auto Racing Carson Ware gets sideways as he comes out of Turn 4 in a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021, in Darlington, S.C. (AP Photo/John Amis) (John Amis)DARLINGTON, S.C. — (AP) — Noah Gragson held off Harrison Burton in a two-lap overtime shootout at at Darlington Raceway on Saturday for his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season. It looked like no one, including Gragson, would be able to outrun Cup Series star Denny Hamlin late in the race. Gragson had a final challenge after a caution came out on the 144th of 147 laps because of debris on the track. Justin Haley finished fourth followed by Jeb Burton, Justin Allgaier, Cup Series regular Tyler Reddick, Jeremy Clements, Myatt Snider and Alex Labbe making up the top 10. After a burnout, Gragson and some of his team members climbed the fence at Darlington to celebrate with fans.

Reddick needed only to beat Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon and hope for a repeat winner to earn his first playoff berth. It meant only a first-time race winner could edge Reddick or Dillon for the final spot. “To miss that playoff spot by one spot, that’s a tough ending to a day,” Buescher said. McDowell clinched a spot in the playoffs with his Daytona 500 victory so the early exit didn't affect his playoff chances. Kevin Harvick is the defending race winner and Martin Truex Jr. won at the South Carolina track in May.

Kurt Busch has a multiyear deal with 23XI Racing, the NASCAR team owned by basketball great Michael Jordan and fellow driver Denny Hamlin. Hamlin released more details Saturday about the new partnership and said he is in the final stages of securing a charter for Busch's No. 45 Toyota in 2022. Without one, Busch would have to qualify for every race.

NASCAR 23XI Kurt Busch Auto Racing FILE - In this July 18, 2021, file photo, Kurt Busch smiles at a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Loudon, N.H. Busch will drive next season for 23XI Racing, the NASCAR team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, in a long expected expansion move for the first-year organization. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File) (Charles Krupa)CHARLOTTE, N.C. — (AP) — Kurt Busch will drive next season for 23XI Racing, the NASCAR team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan, in a long expected expansion move for the first-year organization. Seeing the number compete again, under the 23XI Racing banner, with Kurt behind the wheel, is exciting for us. Both Hamlin and Busch are qualified for the 10-race playoffs, while Hamlin is racing for the regular season title Saturday night. Ganassi in July announced he was selling his two-car NASCAR team to Trackhouse Racing, and Trackhouse kept Ross Chastain for its second seat.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (Darron Cummings)BROOKLYN, Mich. — (AP) — Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin spent the week trading barbs about their chaotic finish at Indianapolis. “We can’t race that way,” Hamlin said after Briscoe sent Indy’s race leader spinning on the second-to-last lap. Then in the second overtime and final restart, Hamlin forced Briscoe wide heading into the first turn, and as Hamlin navigated the course, Briscoe drove through the grass and came out side by side with Hamlin. Hamlin has already clinched a playoff spot despite not winning yet this season. Last year's Michigan race was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

INDIANAPOLIS — (AP) — AJ Allmendinger took advantage of two frightening multi-car crashes, the leader getting spun out and a penalty — all in the final five laps — to win the Brickyard 200 on Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Making only his second NASCAR Cup start of the season, the 39-year-old Allmendinger raced to his second career Cup victory and gave Kaulig Racing its first win in only the organization's seventh series start. But the 0.929-second victory over Ryan Blaney in the first Cup race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course was marred by two huge pileups that brought out red flags. A few moments later, seven more cars crashed in the same spot and again the race was halted. UP NEXTAfter back-to-back road races, the Cup circuit returns to an oval next Sunday at Michigan International Speedway.

NASCAR Watkins Glen Auto Racing Kyle Larson drives through the Bus Stop during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race in Watkins Glen, N.Y., on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021. Larson also held off Elliott in overtime to win on the road course at Sonoma in June. Larson had a lead of nearly three seconds on Truex as the laps began to wind down, but Elliott continued to charge. Truex, Bell and Larson were in a three-car breakaway early on the 50-lap final stage. Bell challenged Truex for the lead with Larson on lap 48 but couldn’t make it stick and backed off.