Denny Hamlin advances in NASCAR playoffs at Gateway with 200th Cup win for Toyota

MADISON, Ill. (AP) – Nothing seems to distract Denny Hamlin, and the NASCAR star proved it again with a laser-focused victory at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday to advance in the Cup Series playoffs.

After a week in which his father was ailing and his 23XI Racing team lost a decision in its court battle with NASCAR, Hamlin compartmentalized his concerns and stayed on task for a virtually flawless weekend – starting from the pole position and leading a race-high 75 of 240 laps.

“I just step up,” Hamlin said after his series-high fifth victory this season. “All I can do is just keep being a student of the game, keep trying to get better, and every week is a chance to get a little better.”

With his 59th career win, Hamlin advanced to the second round of the playoffs and joined Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, who finished second after winning last week’s opener at Darlington Raceway. Chase Elliott finished third, followed by Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano as playoff drivers swept the top five spots at the 1.25-mile oval.

The No. 11 Toyota team called Hamlin to the pits for his final stop with 44 laps remaining, and he cycled to the front on a caution 15 laps later. The Virginia native seized the lead from Brad Keselowski on the restart, delivering the 200th win in NASCAR’s premier series for Toyota.

The Joe Gibbs Racing star celebrated with a long burnout down the front stretch of the track outside St. Louis that is commonly referred to as Gateway, bringing boos raining down from a sellout crowd to Hamlin’s delight.

“You all can boo me, but you can either get on the bandwagon or get run over by it,” he said. “I want all the noise and all the heat.”

Relishing life as a NASCAR villain is one of many roles being filled by the multitasking Hamlin, who also co-hosts a podcast while running 23XI Racing, the three-car team that he co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

It’s had little impact on the on-track performance for Hamlin, who is in his 20th Cup season driving for team owner Joe Gibbs. At Gateway, he became the seventh driver in NASCAR history with multiple victories after his 700th start.

Team owner Joe Gibbs marvels at how Hamlin, who turns 45 in November and welcomed his third child in June, is able to juggle so much.

“He’s in one meeting after another,” Gibbs said with a laugh. “The more stuff he does, the better off he is. He’s got a real drive to succeed.”

The ultimate prize would be a first Cup championship, and Hamlin took another step toward that goal by locking into the next round ahead of the Sept. 13 race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The first-round cutoff race will trim the playoff field from 16 to 12 drivers.

After Gateway, Shane van Gisbergen, Austin Dillon, Alex Bowman and Josh Berry are outside the top 12.

After a 12th-place finish at Gateway, Kyle Larson can clinch a spot in the next round by simply starting at Bristol. Bubba Wallace, who finished eighth after leading 73 of 240 laps and winning the second stage, also is in a strong position to advance.

Berry will need a win at Bristol to advance to the next round after opening his Cup playoff debut with consecutive last-place finishes. The Wood Brothers Racing driver was tapped in the left rear by Elliott, sending Berry’s No. 21 Ford spinning into the Turn 2 wall on the 36th lap.

“Chase and that team have done a lot for me, and I really doubt that was on purpose,” said Berry, who crashed on the first lap of the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. “Just wrong place, wrong time for us again. Obviously, it’s unfortunate. We’ll just go to Bristol and try to do the best we can and put ourselves in position to race for a win, and that’s really all we can do at this point.”

Elliott apologized for the incident after the race.

“I had no intention of getting into him,” Elliott said. “I’ve known those guys my whole life, so I just hope that they know it wasn’t anything intentional. I felt terrible about it right when it happened, and I wish I could take it back.”

NASCAR announced the death of Bill Davis, whose teams won 40 races in the Cup, Xfinity and Truck series from 1993-2008. Davis had all five of his Cup victories with driver Ward Burton, including the 2001 Southern 500 and 2002 Daytona 500. The Arkansas native, who was 74, also fielded cars for Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte before they won Cup championships with other teams.

“A championship-winning leader and owner, Bill Davis made a lasting mark on our sport through his passion and unwavering belief in the people around him,” NASCAR said in a statement. “Bill was more than a competitor – he was a friend to all in the garage, respected for his kindness, generosity, and genuine love for racing.”

The first round of the Cup playoffs will conclude next Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. Larson has won consecutive races at Bristol, leading 872 of the past 1,000 laps on the 0.533-mile oval in Tennessee.