Denny Hamlin wins the Tricky Triangle

If Denny Hamlin had won pole position with flying colors, qualifying had been fatal to Kurt Busch, the victim of a violent exit from the road. Although fortunately no serious injury was reported for the 23XI Racing driver, the application of a concussion protocol forced him to forfeit the remainder of the weekend. His steering wheel was entrusted to Ty Dillon, brilliant this season in the Xfinity Series.

Big first in Pocono for Ty Gibbs © Logan Riely/Getty Images

It's difficult to draw any lessons from the start of the race as it was cut up by the neutralizations. If Denny Hamlin brushed the wall on the first lap, it was Austin Cindric who caused the first yellow flag on the 7th lap by losing control of his Ford Mustang in the very technical 3rd and final turn of this triangular circuit. 20 laps later, Aric Almirola made a mistake and the segment went to Kyle Larson under yellow flag.

Hamlin from worst to best

At the restart, three consecutive neutralizations greeted the on-track pirouettes of Bilicki, Hamlin and LaJoie. 7 yellow flags in 44 laps, not necessarily the best race to introduce the discipline to a motorsport fan new to Nascar...

Fortunately, the race came alive under the leadership of Ryan Blaney and Kevin Harvick, both in search of a first victory this season, synonymous with qualification for the Playoffs. Remember that Harvick is currently in an ugly negative spiral illustrated by 63 races without a victory and a sad record this season of 11 Top 10s without a victory. The second segment went to Kyle Busch, very happy, for once, with his car.

Kyle Busch smiles again © Logan Riely/Getty Images

The final stretch was underway, and Blaney quickly lost any chance of victory, and a lap on the leader, due to a puncture. At the front, Kyle Busch, Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin opened up a slight gap on the rest of the field while the bar of 40 laps remaining to be covered, synonymous with the final refueling window, was crossed. Chastain drew the best card in the pits and returned to the track in front of Busch. Bad luck card on the other hand for Hamlin, his team not managing to fully refuel its Toyota Camry. At least the sight of these three strong-willed drivers driving bumper to bumper could only make us happy for the last 35 laps. Quite unintentionally, Ryan Blaney offered Hamlin a little breathing room and autonomy by violently leaving the track with 23 laps to go. Time to evacuate the damaged Ford and the final sprint was launched for 18 laps.

.@RossChastain has a perspective on the contact with @dennyhamlin ???? pic.twitter.com/EaJgfkvrt0

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 24, 2022

We didn't want to think about it, and yet at the restart the two best enemies of the season, Hamlin and Chastain, found themselves side by side and a slight contact sent Chastain into the wall. Surprised by the incident, Harvick could not avoid the sinking Chevrolet and had to give up, enriching his black streak by one round. Hamlin did not tremble and would take the victory after 3 hours and 17 minutes of racing. Could this be the title year for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver?

Nascar rankings for the M&M'S Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono:

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