NASCAR takeaways: Get on the bandwagon or get run over by it?

Denny Hamlin is one step closer to an ever-elusive NASCAR championship.

The 44-year-old ensured his spot in the second round of the Cup Series playoffs, the Round of 12, with a victory in the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday, Sept. 7. He led an event-best 75 laps and finished a second and a half in front of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Chase Briscoe.