The sixteenth spherical of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season at Pocono Raceway had a reasonably predictable ending, as Denny Hamlin collected his sixty fourth profession win and his eighth on the ‘Tough Triangle’ over championship chief Tyler Reddick.
However there was nonetheless loads to debate after 400 miles and 160 laps of motion across the distinctive observe. NASCAR will now head west to California for a road race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, after which a standard street course race at Sonoma Raceway.
However earlier than we glance westward, let’s check out the largest winners and losers from Pocono Raceway:
WINNER: Denny Hamlin closes in on championship lead with one other good race
Watch: Trifecta! Hamlin celebrates third straight win at Pocono
Hamlin actually seems infallible in the intervening time after profitable his third consecutive Cup Sequence race. Tyler Reddick’s 129-point lead has been diminished to simply 19pts in 4 brief races, at the same time as he completed second on Sunday. Hamlin has roared previous Kyle Busch on the all-time wins record, not too long ago joined the 50 poles/50 wins membership, and it looks like he can do no unsuitable. Now, the subsequent two weeks on road/street programs are prone to make him look extra human as Hamlin is at his weakest when proper turns are concerned, however Pocono was simply the most recent instance of how the 45-year-old is just getting higher behind the wheel.
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LOSER: Christopher Bell falls one lap in need of gas save gamble paying off
Watch: Christopher Bell displays on late gas gamble
Lots of people thought Bell would not even be racing this weekend after a 63G crash left him with a fractured left wrist at Michigan, however right here he was. It wasn’t an amazing race for Bell, however a daring fuel-save technique from crew chief Adam Stevens almost netted him a prime 5 or prime ten end, however he ran out of gas with one lap to go and needed to pit. That despatched him again to twenty sixth place, and now he faces a really troublesome problem attributable to his damage with San Diego and Sonoma forward of him.
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WINNER: Legacy Motor Membership continues spectacular upward climb
Watch: Nemechek pleased with P4 end: ‘We’re working in the fitting course’
The Toyotas are very quick this yr, and we imply JGR, 23XI, *and* Legacy Motor Membership. After Erik Jones’ runner-up end final weekend, he positioned sixth at Pocono. Much more spectacular than that’s the truth that he wasn’t even the highest LMC driver! Teammate John Hunter Nemechek completed fourth for his first prime 5 of the yr, main 42 laps — a career-high for Nemechek. In reality, he led extra laps on Sunday than his complete 2025 season mixed. Jones was additionally the largest mover in factors, leaping three spots and shifting simply above the Chase cut-off line. Legacy is turning into a real menace unexpectedly, and is prone to attain Victory Lane within the near-future in the event that they stick with it.
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LOSER: Brad Keselowski falls exterior the Chase
Whereas Jones moved up into the highest 16, he changed Keselowski who fell under the Chase cut-line. The RFK co-owner has three straight DNFs with finishes of thirty fourth, thirty fourth, and thirty eighth at Pocono — useless final. He was caught up in a wreck he did not trigger, and now he sits seventeenth in factors with little to indicate for his efforts. With the latest misfortune that hit Ryan Preece as effectively, RFK now has only one driver left within the Chase area, whereas all three had been trying snug nearly a month in the past.
WINNER: Chris Buescher leads the way in which for Ford
Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Photographs
Whereas it was a tricky weekend for many of RFK Racing, Buescher continues to be the outlier. He completed seventh, which was first amongst all Ford drivers. Buescher has been the mannequin of consistency, and has bumped as much as seventh within the standings together with his eighth prime ten within the first 16 races of the yr.
LOSER: Zane Smith makes pricey error whereas battling at the entrance
Zane Smith, Entrance Row Motorsports
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Photographs
Smith has been very spectacular in latest weeks, however Pocono was a misstep for the motive force of the No. 38 FRM Ford. Battling for third whereas on an alternate technique, Smith misplaced management and crashed into the within wall, ending his Pocono race after simply 66 laps. Nonetheless, there was a vibrant spot for Entrance Row Motorsports as Smith’s teammate Todd Gilliland earned his first-career stage win.
WINNER: Ross Chastain secures best-ever Pocono end
Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
Picture by: David Jensen / Getty Photographs
The No. 1 Trackhouse crew has to take no matter positives they will discover proper now, and Sunday was a uncommon vibrant spot in an in any other case troublesome 2026 season. Chastain completed eighth, securing his best-ever end at Pocono and his first prime ten on a non-drafting observe this yr. Chastain continues to be 61pts exterior of the Chase, however Sunday’s end result moved him eleven factors nearer to the cut-line.
LOSER: Defending Pocono winner Chase Briscoe fails to capitalize
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing, John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Membership
Picture by: James Gilbert / Getty Photographs
Briscoe’s acknowledged aim is to be inside the highest 5 within the standings by the point the common season ends, giving him an amazing shot at difficult for the title following the reset. And whereas he had a high-quality race, the No. 19 crew has to really feel Pocono was a missed alternative. He entered this race because the defending winner, however he solely completed twelfth, and stays nearly 100 factors away from reaching fifth within the standings.
BONUS WINNER: NASCAR and Prime Video for shifting up the beginning time
Nascar prime emblem
Picture by: James Gilbert / Getty Photographs
NASCAR labored along with streaming accomplice Prime Video to proactively transfer up the beginning time of Sunday’s Cup race a full two hours because of the menace of inclement climate later within the day. It was nice to have an early afternoon Cup race, however it was even higher to see how versatile Prime Video was with adjusting begin occasions, making certain all 160 laps had been accomplished and not using a single delay.
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