The Vegas race is here, and Denny Hamlin has secured his fourth pole of the season, clocking a lap time of 29.213 seconds, beating his own teammate Chase Briscoe by just three-hundredths of a second.

Yet, despite this strong start to the weekend, the conversation around last week’s controversial incidents involving the points situation at Charlotte continues to swirl, refusing to fade from the spotlight. As fans and analysts gear up for the Round of 8, Hamlin’s thoughts on the importance of points awareness and race integrity reveal deeper complexities beneath the high-speed excitement.

Hamlin is not convinced by the secrecy

In that Charlotte race, Hamlin passed Ross Chastain in the final moments, a move that helped keep Joey Logano’s playoff hopes alive. Chastain, who was fighting for his life for the final playoff spot, spun Hamlin and himself out on the final turn, and both ultimately crossed the line in reverse, ending Chastain’s postseason run.

Hamlin, in the pre-race conference, expressed, “Why it’s important is because…what happened last week is not new…I would like to know if I’m in a vulnerable spot that the person behind me is emboldened to make a bold move and put me broadside in the middle of the racetrack.” These moments highlight the value of real-time points information to anticipate such risks and act accordingly.

Hamlin also referenced the 2024 Martinsville race manipulation scandal, which was mostly seen in lower racing levels but gained infamy in the Cup playoffs. At Martinsville, teams orchestrated blocking and wrecking to aid teammates’ playoff chances, leading to severe NASCAR penalties, including suspensions and fines. “We’ve primarily seen it mostly… at the lower levels at Martinsville during those cutoff races where people were wiping each other out,” Hamlin said.

Regarding NASCAR’s crackdown on radio communications to curb manipulation, Hamlin said, “I don’t see any reason why I can’t know what the point situation is,” but acknowledged, “All situations are different… I truthfully still don’t know the answer to [what’s acceptable].”

But NASCAR has a different opinion. Their problem is not with the points being disclosed, but the strategic discussion around them. Their radio policing is on high alert, and Alex Bowman and Cole Custer recently escaped penalties after their radios were evaluated for suspicion. NASCAR’s Mike Forde said, “We’ll remind everyone not to put themselves or the sport in a bad position…If we hear or see anything that crosses the line, we won’t hesitate to act.” 

So Hamlin highlights the delicate balance and dilemma that everyone’s facing between transparency and avoiding team-driven race fixing. His perspective implores NASCAR to find a fair middle ground that safeguards drivers while preserving the sport’s competitive purity.

Joe Gibbs Racing clinches unprecedented 1-2-3 at Las Vegas qualifying

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) showcased its dominant form already in the Round of 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway by marking a historic 1-2-3 sweep for the team, for the upcoming South Point 400. Denny Hamlin led the charge by clinching the pole with an impressive lap time of 29.213 seconds, narrowly besting teammate Chase Briscoe by just 0.036 seconds.

Christopher Bell rounded out the JGR trio in third place, only 0.042 seconds behind Hamlin. This is the first such occurrence for JGR since 2020. This qualifying performance underlines JGR’s formidable strength as the Round of 8 playoff opener approaches, giving them a significant advantage on the 1.5-mile Vegas oval.

Hamlin expressed his satisfaction, noting that while their short-run speed was solid, the team will focus on improving the long-run performance for race day. “I felt good about it. There wasn’t a whole lot left out there for it, but great job to get my car good. It was good in the short run practice as well, but we gotta work on it in the long run for tomorrow. Saturday has really been our Achilles heel at this race track, and that’s a great way to turn that around,” he said.

Behind JGR, Hendrick Motorsports secured the next three spots, with Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Kyle Larson rounding out the top six. Meanwhile, Team Penske’s Joey Logano (9th) and Ryan Blaney (14th) started deeper in the field, indicating a more challenging road ahead, but ready to spoil it for the frontrunners.

JGR’s pole sweep reflects not only their engineering and team performance excellence but also the strategic positioning they have carved out in this fiercely competitive playoff battle. As the race unfolds, their front-row dominance is sure to put pressure on rivals chasing championship glory.