Hamlin beats Harvick at Pocono

The fight for victory at the Pocono 350 was similar to that of the day before, but this time it was Denny Hamlin (Toyota) who won ahead of Kevin Harvick (Ford). The driver of the Stewart-Haas Racing once again seemed to have a car to win, but Joe Gibbs Racing attempted a daring gamble by leaving the No. 11 Camry on the track for an additional fifteen laps in order to avoid traffic and benefiting from a green flag extended after a series of accidents.

If Martin Truex Jr (Toyota) was able to briefly take the lead in the event, his teammate Denny Hamlin quickly regained his due by enjoying a sufficient lead over the 2014 champion. The winner of the second Pocono event became the first driver to have 4 victories this year with a 41st victory in the discipline, beating Mark Martin. This is also his 6th success on the 2,5 mile “Tricky Triangle”.

It was ultimately Erik Jones (Toyota) who completed the top three, thus signing his best result of the season, ahead of Chase Elliott (Chevrolet) and Aric Almirola (Stewart-Haas Racing).

The first part of the Pocono 350 was marked by a series of crashes. Christopher Bell (Toyota), author of his best performance in Nascar Cup Series the day before with 4th place, this time abandoned. Kyle Busch (Toyota) had no more success after being sent to the decor by Ryan Blaney (Ford), leaving the reigning champion without a victory after 15 events contested this year.

Discover the report from the Nascar Cup Series at Talladega and Pocono in issue 2267 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.