#NASCAR / #ARCA Race Recap (Las Vegas Motor Speedway / Bullring)
Winners: Denny Hamlin (Cup); Aric Almirola (Xfinity); plus Trevor Huddleston (ARCA West)
NASCAR Cup
Denny Hamlin Seizes Vegas Victory to Clinch Championship 4 Berth
Denny Hamlin scored an emotional victory and claimed a significant career milestone with a dramatic NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 win in Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Hamlin passed two cars in the final 10 laps, ultimately taking the lead from his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe with four laps remaining and then holding off the day’s most dominant driver, Kyle Larson, by 1.533 seconds to claim a series-best sixth win of the season and 60th of his Cup career.
The win secures the first of four positions for the Nov. 2 Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway — landing Hamlin his first title shot since 2021.
Hamlin was notably moved in the moments after climbing out of his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Instead of the typical playful banter the veteran normally delivers to the crowd after a win, the 44-year-old Virginian spoke more solemnly, mentioning his father Dennis, who has been ill.
“This win means a lot, this is the point where I kind of give the fans some [expletive], but not today, I appreciate you all so much,” said Hamlin, his eyes water-filled as he looked toward the crowded grandstands.
“Obviously, just want to say ‘hi’ to my dad and family back at home,” Hamlin added, his voice cracking with emotion. “We were hoping to get 60 [wins] today, but didn’t think we were. Just put the pedal down those last 10 laps and made it happen.”
Kyle Larson finished second; Christopher Bell placed third; Chase Briscoe came in fourth and Tyler Reddick completed the top five.
Pole: Denny Hamlin
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Next Race: The Cup Series will return on Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 2:00 pm ET for the ‘YellaWood 500’ at Talladega Superspeedway.
NASCAR Xfinity
Almirola Holds Off Zilisch for Thrilling Xfinity Series Win at Las Vegas
An incredible race-long scramble among the day’s front-running trio of veteran Aric Almirola and young talents Connor Zilisch and Jesse Love ended in favor of the experienced Almirola, but he really had to earn this trophy in Saturday’s Focused Health 302 NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Almirola, who led a race-best 107 of the 201 laps, took the lead for good from the season’s most dominant driver, Zilisch, with nine laps remaining and held off the championship leader by .696 seconds in one of the most competitive races of the season.
“Such an awesome opportunity to go race for an owner’s championship with [Gibbs’ late son] J.D. Gibbs’ name on the car,” Almirola said. “I’m having so much fun. This is the time of my life.
“Our car was good. Our car was really good, but the longer I ran the tighter I got and I was just struggling on the long run at the beginning of Stage 3 and finally on that re-start [with 23 laps remaining] I took off incredibly tight and couldn’t get going and was able to go chase the 88 [Zilisch] down. He looked pretty loose and I was able to capitalize on that.
“It was awesome racing them.”
Connor Zilisch finished second; Justin Allgaier placed third; Corey Day came in fourth and Nick Sanchez completed the top five.
Pole: Justin Allgaier
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Next Race: The Xfinity Series will return on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 4:00 pm ET for the ‘United Rentals 250’ at Talladega Superspeedway.
NASCAR Trucks
Truck Enjoyed an Off Weekend
Next Race: The Truck Series will return on Friday, October 17, 2025 at 4:00 pm ET for the ‘Love's RV Stop 225’ at Talladega Superspeedway.
ARCA West
Trevor Huddleston Consolidates West Series Points Lead with Victory at Las Vegas
Although he did not officially clinch the ARCA Menards Series West championship at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, Trevor Huddleston got one step closer to securing that milestone.
The veteran racer put together a stellar performance in the Star Nursery 150 to pick up an important fourth victory on the 2025 season. Huddleston dealt with several late cautions, one of which was extended due to weather, but survived the attrition to celebrate his first trip to Victory Lane at The Bullring.
When the day started, Huddleston doubted he would have a car capable of being able to contend at the front of the field. Despite the adversity, Huddleston’s faith in his High Point Racing team was rewarded, as he now has the West Series title within his grasp.
“We did not unload good,” Huddleston said. “[My crew] stuck to it and they made it happen. That was a little rough, but it was an amazing battle with everybody. “
“We had some transmission issues,” Huddleston said about his battle with Keller. “I lost it into neutral, hit the rumble strips and got into Kyle. It was a bummer deal and I knew we were going to have a great battle. People are going to be mad a little bit, but that’s part of racing I guess.
“Win number four is pretty awesome and I’m pretty speechless.”
Connor Hall finished second; Robbie Kennealy placed third; Thomas Annunziata came in fourth and Tanner Reif completed the top five.
Pole: Trevor Huddleston
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Next Race: The ARCA West Series will return on Saturday, November1, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. MT for the ‘Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 100’ at Phoenix Raceway. This will be the last ARCA race of the 2025 Season.
The ARCA Menard Series (AMS) and ARCA Menard East Series (AMES) have concluded their 2025 Season.
Brenden Queen won the AMS Championship while
Isaac Kitzmiller captured the top spot in the AES
