NASCAR made its long awaited return to Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday (July 5), and it was an excellent day for Joe Gibbs Racing. In addition to Chase Briscoe winning his first race of 2026, Denny Hamlin was able to widen his lead atop the NASCAR Cup Series points standings.
Heading into the weekend, Hamlin and Tyler Reddick were separated by a single point. However, an issue for Reddick and a top-5 finish for Hamlin resulted in the gap between the top two in points expanding to 44.Â
Frontstretch.com’s Ben Lloyd reacts to Hamlin’s apparent newfound status as the favorite to claim the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship
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