Denny Hamlin chalked up his record seventh win at Pocono Raceway — “Eight, right?” he quipped — to nothing more than coming out ahead after a hard, respectful duel with Kyle Larson over the furious final laps.
Hamlin’s take: His Toyota held firm in the middle lane while Larson’s Chevrolet ran out of room on the outside when it got choked in a tight aerodynamic situation and sailed into the wall.
Larson’s view: His so-called good buddy Hamlin ran him up the track, smashed him into the wall and derailed his chance at the win.
Larson was furious. Hamlin shrugged it off. After all, he had the win at Pocono — and this time it counted.
Hamlin returned to victory lane Sunday a year after his first-place finish was thrown out, giving him a track-record seven wins and 50 overall in his Cup career.
Hamlin won for the second time this season and also gave Toyota its 600th NASCAR victory.
Hamlin passed Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon — for the second straight year — for most wins at the tri-oval track. Hamlin and his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch had their 1-2 finishes stripped a year ago by NASCAR for aerodynamics violations.
That made Hamlin the first disqualified Cup winner since April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson Speedway in North Carolina was thrown out because of an oversized fuel tank.
The sold-out crowd — Pocono’s largest since 2010 — showered Hamlin with boos.
Larson faded to 20th and blamed Hamlin for shooting the No. 5 Chevrolet into the wall.
Hamlin won his 50th race in 635 career Cup starts spent entirely with Gibbs.
Tyler Reddick was second and Martin Truex Jr., who won last week at New Hampshire, was third. Kevin Harvick and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five.
Austin Dillon chucked his helmet at former teammate Reddick’s car after the two were involved in a wreck. Dillon’s Ford slammed into the wall and its passenger side crumpled. Dillon threw his helmet as he walked off the track.
NASCAR heads to Richmond. Larson won the race in April while Harvick is the defending winner of last summer’s race.
