“All of it just hit him”: Kevin Harvick says Denny Hamlin’s 60th NASCAR win was a flood of emotions under extreme pressure

Denny Hamlin’s 60th Cup Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was one of the most emotional moments of his career. Under heavy pressure, both personal and professional, the veteran overcame a tense final restart to clinch a historic milestone victory in the Round of 8 opener.

After the win, Kevin Harvick, who Hamlin tied on the all-time Cup wins list, summed up the moment best. Speaking on his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick said:

“(The) driver of the 11 is very determined right now to do all the things that he’s doing. A lot of emotion after the race with everything going on in Denny’s life, and you saw how important it was to get that 60th win. His dad’s been ill, got the lawsuit going on, you got all the pressure of the championship, and you could just see all of it just hit him all at once. But those guys are on a mission right now for sure.” (6:38 onwards)

When co-hosts reminded Harvick that Denny Hamlin had tied him at 60 wins on the all-time list, he smiled and said:

“He did.”

The Las Vegas playoff race changed dramatically on Lap 232 when a caution forced teams to change pit strategies. Hamlin opted for four fresh tires, restarting sixth. After a multi-car wreck brought out another caution and the field together on the final restart with 14 to go.

But within a few laps, Denny Hamlin, running fifth, picked his way forward. He cleared Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe within eight laps and scored his series-best sixth win of the season. His 75-year-old father, Dennis Hamlin, has been battling health issues, and the JGR frontrunner dedicated his victory to him.

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“We’re going to have a great shot at it”: The title is Denny Hamlin’s next goal

Denny Hamlin before the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway. Source: Imagn

For Denny Hamlin, the goal was to get his 60th Cup win. More than titles, he has advocated that race wins will decide his legacy. On the Actions Detrimental podcast after the race, Hamlin reflected on the milestone and what lies ahead.

“Reached the goal. Now what?” he asked. (18:18 onwards) His co-hosts replied, “Win the championship.” Hamlin nodded and said, “That’s the next one? Yeah. I hope so. We’re going to have a great shot at it. These things are hard to predict. It's one race... but I'm looking forward to it. I feel like I definitely can get better at Phoenix. I'm certainly gonna spend the time to try to work on getting better there. I've got some extra time now to work on it. I haven't had that.”

With his Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota already locked into the Phoenix finale, Denny Hamlin has the rare luxury of preparation. But he knows how fragile these moments can be.

The title has eluded him for two decades. Hamlin came closest in 2010, finishing second to Jimmie Johnson. Since the introduction of the Playoffs in 2014, he has reached the Championship 4 four times and fallen short each time.

In 2014 at Homestead, he led with 20 laps to go, but a late caution and a strategy call to stay out cost him. In 2019, another title bid unraveled after an overheating issue from a tape miscalculation forced an unscheduled stop. He finished fourth in 2020 and 2021, as the titles were won by Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, respectively.

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Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar