Denny Hamlin almost got teary-eyed when his mom embraced him after winning the Penzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The heartfelt moment happened during the post-race interview, as Hamlin called it a ‘family sport’ and gave a touching tribute to his late father.

Hamlin entered the season with heartbreak. His father, Dennis Hamlin, tragically passed away during a house fire, while his mom survived with minor burn injuries. Moreover, Hamlin tore his shoulder while going through the wreckage.

The 44-year-old had a torrid start to the season as well. He finished outside the top-31 at Daytona, but has logged three top-10s since. Sunday’s result marks his third overall and second straight win at the tri-oval. It’s also his 61st career win, keeping him tenth on the all-time wins list.

Hamlin’s mom was overcome with emotion when she hugged him after the race. The No.11 driver addressed the moment and said,

“This is a family sport and my family obviously had so much sacrifice to help me get here……it’s great that mom gets to see us. I know dad’s still you know saying ‘that’s my boy.'” [0:19 onwards]

Denny Hamlin was the most dominant driver of the day. Starting from the front row, he led 134 of the 267 laps and logged the fastest lap as well. The win earned him an eight-place jump on the standings to land fourth.

He has 177 points to his name and is 78 points adrift of season-leader Tyler Reddick. The 23XI Racing driver missed out on the top-10 and finished 13th.

Denny Hamlin reflects on his spot in the all-time wins list

Denny Hamlin reached 60 wins last year and tied Kevin Harvick for tenth on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. Now that he has added to his tally, the Virginian native is the sole record holder for tenth.

Reflecting upon the feat, Hamlin said,

“My name stands out amongst … there’s the legends of the sport. I feel very fortunate to be on the list. Those guys were far more talented than I have ever thought about being.

“I just work really hard. I still, to this day, work really hard at my craft to try to continue to get better. Days like today certainly make me feel happy about where I’m at in the sport still and what I can still do,” Denny Hamlin added via NASCAR’s official website.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and William Byron finished second and third, respectively, while Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top-5. With Chase Briscoe’s eighth-place finish, Joe Gibbs Racing has finished all four cars among the top-10.

Bubba Wallace was yet another Toyota driver who landed a top-10 result, which helped him reclaim his second-place standing.