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Hamlin wins, SVG in trouble

Denny Hamlin celebrates Gateway

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 8 September 2025

Denny Hamlin locked away victory at Gateway as Shane van Gisbergen’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff hopes hang by a thread.

Hamlin dominated the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway to give Toyota its 200th NASCAR Cup Series win.

However, the focus for fans on either side of the Tasman is on van Gisbergen’s fortunes, which took a turn for the worse.

A spin and 25th place saw the Kiwi fall 22 points below the cut line in 14th, with only the top 12 going through.

It places significant pressure on van Gisbergen as he needs a strong performance at Bristol this weekend before the cut, otherwise, his Playoffs dream is over.

After starting 18th SVG dropped to 24th before rising to the edge of the top 10 by the end of the opening stage.

However, he had dropped back to 18th before he spun gently into the wall after a restart.

Despite the drama, the Trackhouse Racing Kiwi bounced back and rose up to 13th, only to be penalised for speeding on pit road.

This forced van Gisbergen to settle for 25th after an up-and-down day.

“We were too tight in traffic, and then eventually got on the other side of it and I made an error and spun,” van Gisbergen said. 

“We just couldn’t get it back. We weren’t amazing. 

“We were probably a 15th-place car, but then detuned it a little bit and ended up where we did. 

“Little frustrating, but it’s kind of where we’re at. 20th and 15th is a huge improvement for us, but obviously, in the playoffs, you expect more. There’s that pressure there.”

At least van Gisbergen is still in the fight as Josh Berry was spun into the wall after a clash with Elliott just 35 laps in.

Ryan Blaney impressively recovered from an early spin to secure fourth place ahead of teammate Joey Logano.

Meanwhile, Hamlin was delighted to secure a Round of 12 ticket with a fifth win of 2025.

The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran led teammate Chase Briscoe by 1.6s as Chase Elliott completed the podium.

The 44-year-old embraced the villain tag.

“It’s just a great victory,” Hamlin said. 

“Love that Denny time flag, poster is pretty good. Y’all can boo me. You can either get on the bandwagon or you can get run over by it. Bring ’em all!

“It’s so big for everyone at Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Progressive Toyota was great there at the end. So happy to get this victory. 

“All I can do is just keep being a student of the game, keep trying to get better. Every week is a chance to get a little better.”

The Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol is a last-chance saloon for van Gisbergen at 9.30 AEST on Sunday, September 14.

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