Pocono Raceway Victory Given to Denny Hamlin

The Pocono Raceway was alive with action on Sunday night for the second race of the weekend. It was Denny Hamlin keeping Kevin Harvick at bay and flipping the results of the opening race.

Hamlin cruised to victory in his fourth race of the 2020 season and sixth at the Pocono Raceway. The race capped off a wild day of racing at the Pennsylvania track that saw three races taking to the grid with one finishing in almost complete darkness. Pocono is one of the few tracks that does not have lights, but that didn’t stop Denny Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, from taking the checkered flag.

Hamlin struggled with late vibration

Saturday’s race was a challenge for Hamlin as he dealt with vibration in his No. 11 Toyota race car. That limited his abilities to catch Kevin Harvick while charging down the stretch and prevented him from taking the checkered flag.

However, just over 24 hours later as the two battled it out on Sunday, Hamlin was able to overtake Harvick and take almost a three-second lead. Harvick, similar in fate to Hamlin on Sunday had to slow his car due to a loose wheel.

Hamlin, who is a three-time Daytona 500 champion, won the last stage in the triple header in a series of races that saw delays relating to rain and lightning. The last six races at Pocono have seen a Joe Gibbs Racing driver taking the checkered flag at the 2.5-mile oval. To date, Hamlin has amassed forty-one victories in his career with NASCAR and sits in the 19th position for most career wins.

Rain wreaked havoc over the weekend

The race was marred by long bursts of rain and saw multiple delays in racing. The day got underway with a Truck Series Race that saw Brandon Jones earning the win, while the Xfinity race, the second of the day, was won by Chase Briscoe.

]Pocono goes into the books as the first track in the history of NASCAR to hold three races in a single day. NASCAR is hoping to capitalize on the fact it is the only major sport to have live events every week under the current pandemic.

Sunday was the ninth race of the season that has seen delays due to rain, three of which had to be stopped altogether and finished the following day. That has had some impact on viewership, but with television coverage in place, the organization will certainly reap the benefits until other leagues resume their seasons.