Chase Elliott nips Denny Hamlin in Texas for second win of 2026

Chase Elliott had the best car at high-speed Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday and won a four-lap sprint over Denny Hamlin to capture the Wurth 400 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Elliott, who took the lead with 29 laps left after a cycle of pit stops, had a lead of more than a second over Hamlin before Corey Heim wrecked with 11 circuits left.

Chase Elliott celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Würth 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

All of the leaders except Tyler Reddick (two tires) stayed out, and Elliott cleared Hamlin off Turn 2 on the final restart and won by 0.407 seconds for his 23rd career victory.

Elliott, who led a race-high 87 laps, joined Reddick as the only multi-win drivers this season.

Following Hamlin were Alex Bowman, Reddick and Chris Buescher.

Polesitter Carson Hocevar and teammate Daniel Suarez led a Spire Motorsports front row, and Hocevar topped the first 19 laps before Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota gained the top spot until he pitted on Lap 37.

Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell owned the point late in the 80-lap Stage 1, but his No. 20 soon ran into trouble when Todd Gilliland's No. 34 spun off Turn 4 on Lap 68, hit Bell and knocked him out of the race.

Michigan native Erik Jones notched his first career stage win in his No. 43 Toyota. Hocevar, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ty Gibbs and Chase Briscoe followed behind.

Caution 3 for William Byron's spin led to a chain reaction on pit road that resulted in defending Texas winner Joey Logano smashing into the back of Cole Custer's No. 41, which was stopped and waiting for Gibbs to leave his box. Gibbs then brought out the fourth caution a few laps later when Ryan Preece sent him into the wall.

Driving the No. 67 Toyota for 23XI Racing, Heim led 69 laps in all but lost one as he headed to pit road. However, he regained the lead lap when Kyle Larson, fighting an ill-handling Chevy, looped his No. 5 all by himself and smacked the Turn 2 wall to end his day with just a few circuits left in Stage 2.

In a one-lap dash to end the segment, Elliott passed Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills) to claim the top points. Reddick, Keselowski, Hamlin and Preece finished as the top five.