While Denny Hamlin secured a second-place finish at Pocono, a result that fell short of expectations considering his dominant history at the track, Brad Keselowski’s misfortune opened the door for Hamlin to capitalize. Keselowski, who had emerged as a frontrunner mid-race, saw his chances unravel due to a critical pit road mistake. Hamlin later acknowledged that the misstep stemmed from confusion and underscored how easily such moments can spiral.
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Keselowski led on Lap 56 when he mistakenly entered pit road while it was still closed. The error cost him all of his track position, forcing the No. 6 team to claw back through the field. Despite the setback, Keselowski rallied, briefly reclaiming the lead during the final round of green-flag stops.
Yet, when crew chief Jeremy Bullins called him to pit again, Keselowski opted to stay out in clean air. Just then, an ill-timed caution flag disrupted his strategy once more. He restarted 24th and muscled his way back to ninth, placing all three RFK Racing entries in the top ten.
Reflecting on the initial miscue, Hamlin detailed the moment on his Actions Detrimental podcast, saying, “The pace car has really bright lights on the back of it and when the pit road is open, those lights are green and they are flashing and when it’s closed they are red and they are flashing.”
Hamlin added that he believed Keselowski might have been attempting to bait competitors into making a mistake. He said, “But that’s what me and Carson (Hocevar) were doing. We’re like, ‘The six is going down there.’ And at that time, I steer down there like I’m going. I knew the whole time that it was closed, obviously. I see these bright lights that are flashing red, and so I’m like, ‘Surely six is going to swerve off of this. Nope, he’s not.'”
Hamlin expressed confusion, noting that the on-track system provides ample warning when the pit road is closed, including communication from spotters. In Keselowski’s case, Hamlin speculated whether TJ Majors had relayed the status in time.
Keselowski, however, accepted full responsibility. He revealed that his crew had instructed him to pit, and without second-guessing or confirming with Bullins or Majors, he turned down the pit lane. “That’s my fault,” he admitted, acknowledging the oversight and accepting the consequences.
