EAST LANSING, MI. — Race 5 of 26 in the Cup Series regular season capped off at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The first 1.5-mile track of the year did not disappoint. 

After 267 laps around the windy Vegas track, Denny Hamlin, driving the No. 11 Toyota, took the victory over Chase Elliott. This marks Hamlin’s 61st Cup Series win, making him the 10th winningest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history. 

Stage 1:  Toyotas are fast 

Christopher Bell started this race on the pole, with his teammate Denny Hamlin alongside him. On lap 4, Hamlin took the lead, showcasing a fast car early in the run. Hamlin kept the lead through the first cycle of green flag pit stops, but in the closing laps of Stage 1, Bell used lap traffic to muscle his way to the front, collecting the stage win a few laps later. A caution-free Stage 1 gave the teams significant green flag lap data, helping the teams make needed mid-race adjustments.  

Stage 1 results:  

1. Christopher Bell 

1. Kyle Larson 

1. Denny Hamlin 

1. Ty Gibbs 

1. Bubba Wallace 

1. William Byron 

1. Ryan Preece 

1. Chase Elliott 

1. Ryan Blaney 

1. Tyler Reddick 

Stage 2:  Chevrolet finds a way to the front  

The start of Stage 2 saw new faces at the front. A fast Kyle Larson joined the battle for the lead, setting a strong pace and dominating much of the stage. Long green flag runs allowed the tires to fall off, making handling a bigger factor as the stage progressed. As the laps wound down, Larson’s teammate William Byron worked his way into second and began closing in on the leader. With six laps to go, Byron took the lead, bringing the No. 24 car its first stage win of the year. 

Stage 2 results:  

1. William Byron  

1. Kyle Larson 

1. Christopher Bell 

1. Bubba Wallace 

1. Denny Hamlin 

1. Tyler Reddick 

1. Chris Buescher 

1. Ryan Preece 

1. Chase Elliott 

1. Austin Cindric 

Stage 3: Hamlin holds on  

The third and final stage started with Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports battling it out for the top spot. The field took the green with 94 laps to go, and the lead went back and forth between Denny Hamlin and William Byron. The first caution for cause during the race shocked the field when rookie Connor Zilisch got into a car that had checked up while coming down to pit road. The final restart came with 50 laps to go, with Hamlin finding his way back to the front, leading laps as they became increasingly important. Strong speed in the early and middle portions of the run made it impossible for any driver to challenge him. As the final laps wound down, Chase Elliott established himself as the hard-charging car. Although Elliott was setting faster laps than the leader, he was unable to catch Hamlin and make the pass before the No. 11 crossed the finish line first. 

Top 10 final results: 

1. Denny Hamlin 

1. Chase Elliott 

1. William Byron 

1. Christopher Bell 

1. Ty Gibbs 

1. Chris Buescher 

1. Kyle Larson 

1. Chase Briscoe 

1. Bubba Wallace 

1. Brad Keselowski