Three straight wins from the pole grants Hamlin access to join a very exclusive club.
Denny Hamlin is having a career year. Going into last weekend’s race at Pocono, he was the only driver on the top 10 all-time NASCAR Cup wins list that hadn’t won three in a row. Now, just about 18 months shy of his planned retirement, he’s done it – and in dramatic fashion, to boot.
Hamlin is now one of just a handful of NASCAR drivers to win three straight races from the pole. The last driver to accomplish this feat, Darrel Waltrip, was also running the #11 when he pulled it off way back in 1981. This win, number 64, moves him into sole ownership of the ninth position on that illustrious list, behind Dale Earnhardt, at 76 wins.
As has been the case this year, Hamlin hasn’t won these races by firing off perfectly on restarts or having good short-run speed. These last few weeks have been relatively uneventful, playing into the #11 team’s long-run strategy, as well as Hamlin’s excellent race management skills.
Hamlin did, however, control much of the race, although his day nearly ended early. On lap 42, Zane Smith exited a corner, attempted to side draft Hamlin, and spun, causing a caution. He missed Hamlin by mere inches.
Towards the end of the race, Hamlin’s teammate Christopher Bell, racing with a broken wrist, attempted a long-run fuel strategy. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson, who started outside pole, has separated himself as the best-running Chevrolet in a season dominated by Toyotas. Hamlin and Larson came to pit road together for their final stop, with a battle brewing as the laps ticked down and they slowly reeled in a fuel-saving Bell.
Eventually, however, Larson faded, leaving Hamlin alone to battle Bell. By the time he reached him, it wasn’t much of a battle. Bell faded back through the top 5, eventually running out of fuel and finishing a disappointing 26th. Meanwhile, points leader Tyler Reddick worked his way up as well, finishing second, but finding his championship lead whittled down from 51 points to just 19. However, with two road course races coming up – including this weekend’s race at Naval Base Coronado – Reddick may have an opportunity to pad his lead a bit.
Image: Associated Press
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