Denny Hamlin Stays Scorching Hot with Pocono Win

Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, his third straight win and eighth at Pocono. After starting on the pole Hamlin exercised veteran race management skills to become the third driver of 2026 to pull off a three-peat.

With his 64th career victory Hamlin is now the sole occupant of ninth on the all-time wins list, breaking a tie with Kyle Busch. Those two future Hall of Famers are the longest-running teammates in Cup Series history, and Hamlin paid tribute to Busch last week after tying him at 63.

Late in the race the field split into different fuel strategies, opening a path to victory to cars who’d otherwise have fallen short. Racing with a broken wrist, Christopher Bell delayed pitting in a risky fuel gambit. He carefully managed his pace in hopes there was enough track position left to stave off Hamlin and his fresher tires. Hamlin was able to push his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota full-throttle to run him down, with William Byron close in tow.

Bell was fourth coming to the white flag when his No. 20 Toyota finally ran out of fuel. He was forced to pit, putting him 26th to finish the race. Tyler Reddick came home second, followed by William Byron, John Hunter Nemechek, and Kyle Larson.

Movement in the Midfield

Among the biggest surprises on Sunday was Legacy Motor Club, whose two cars maintained top-ten speed throughout the race. John Hunter Nemechek led 42 laps en route to a fourth-place finish. Erik Jones was top-five for much of the day, but settled in with a solid sixth. Jones is now above the Chase cutoff line for the first time in 2026.

Disaster struck on Lap 46 for several top contenders. Austin Hill drove underneath Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Berry in Turn 3, causing a stack-up that spun several cars. After nearly missing the wreck, Brad Keselowski made hard contact with Bubba Wallace, relegating him to 38th – his third straight finish outside the top 30.

Zane Smith appeared poised to build on recent momentum and contend for a top-ten. That ended when he spun on Lap 41 while racing for fourth, hitting the wall just hard enough to knock out the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford.

Points Outlook

After initially seeming insurmountable to start the season, Tyler Reddick’s lead in the standings has now been whittled to just 19 points. Denny Hamlin is close on his heels for the regular season championship, with Ryan Blaney a distant third at 165 points back.

Brad Keselowski dropped out of the Chase picture on Sunday with a 38th-place finish, his third straight DNF. His spot went to Erik Jones, who jumped three positions to 15th thanks to his sixth-place run. Austin Cindric remains the last of the 16 Chase drivers with a four-point cushion over Keselowski.

Though he didn’t change his place in the standings, Todd Gilliland inched closer to the Chase cutoff line with his first career stage win on Sunday. The No. 34 Front Row Motorsports team is 72 points back, scored 25th.

Race Results