NASCAR Preview: Can Denny Hamlin Log a Record Eighth Win at Pocono Raceway This Weekend?

NASCAR travels to the mountains of Pocono next for a triple-header weekend that will include the 21st Cup Series race of the ongoing season. Denny Hamlin will take comfort in the fact that the Pocono Raceway, a 2.5-mile tricky race track, is one of his best venues. Not having finished in the top 10 in five races now, he will be hoping to use his experience to break apart the bad spell he is under.

Since his debut in the premier tier, Hamlin has raced at Pocono in 34 races and won seven of them. His latest victory came just last year when he broke the tie with Jeff Gordon to become the track’s single most successful driver. His previous performances come down to an average starting position of 7.6 and an average finishing position of 11.5.

Being one of the first drivers to fix a spot in the playoffs, Hamlin is not under a must-win scenario like many of his contenders are. But the upcoming race is of no less importance than the other fixtures. Crucial playoff points are still up for grabs and the regular season championship is still not yet lost on him as he sits 42 points behind the leader Kyle Larson.

Interestingly, he is also one race away from tying the second-longest top-10-less streak of his entire career. However, having won three of the last seven races at Pocono, it is more likely that Hamlin uses it to his advantage. Adding further weight to his favoritism are the four pole awards he has collected there. At the very least, he can be expected to be seen at the front end of the field at some point.

Why Hamlin loves racing at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway

Explaining his affinity for the tricky triangle in a recent press conference, Hamlin said that the race track fits his driving style the best. “I typically don’t drive very deep into the corner,” he quipped. “Instead I try to get good exit speeds. Pocono has such long straightaways so you get rewarded for that exit speed. I love the race track itself.”

One other interesting Hamlin storyline that could diverge from the upcoming race could be his beef with Kyle Larson. It was at Pocono last year that the friction between them went from bad to worse. With matters leaning toward the boiling point once again in 2024, there is always the chance for metals to crash.