As NASCAR heads to Pocono Raceway this weekend, it is hard not to talk about Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is the winningest Cup Series driver at ‘The Tricky Triangle’. Over the years, the #11 Toyota Camry driver has logged seven victories at the Long Pond, Pennsylvania facility.
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Hamlin heads to the 2.5-mile-long track this weekend as the defending winner. Last season’s battle for the win saw him take on Kyle Larson on the track, running the latter wide in typical Larson fashion during the final laps of the event. Hamlin was met with a barrage of boos from the crowd as he celebrated his record win and taunted the fans stating, “I love it. They can boo my rock out of here in a few years.”
The rock Hamlin referred to was the track’s tradition of honoring accomplished drivers via rock installations at the venue with the drivers’ names on them. Having won the most events at Pocono of any driver in NASCAR history and chasing another one this year, Hamlin is bound to have an installation honoring his achievements at the track in the future.
When Denny Hamlin told fans after winning last year at Pocono that they could boo his rock … these are the rocks he was talking about, rocks that honor the most accomplished drivers here. pic.twitter.com/7S7lgAuLbU
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 12, 2024
The Virginia native will keep NASCAR greats such as Richard Petty and Mario Andretti company whenever the installation comes to fruition.
Hamlin’s 2022 disqualification cost him his 8th win
The JGR veteran would have been chasing his ninth victory at the track had NASCAR not disqualified him during his 2022 appearance. Hamlin managed to win the event that year, but post-race penalties saw him and second-place finisher Kyle Busch disqualified from the race after issues were found with the front fascia of their respective cars.
According to Racing America, an unapproved piece of tape was added to the nose of Hamlin’s Toyota Camry TRD, right in front of the wheel wells. This was flagged down as NASCAR inspected the winning car post-race, warranting the 23XI Racing co-owner’s disqualification.
At the time, the #18 Toyota entry driven by Kyle Busch also suffered the same fate and was stripped of its P2 finish at ‘The Tricky Triangle’.
NEWS: Chase Elliott is your winner at Pocono after a disqualification for Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. pic.twitter.com/IjdqFtQxsT
— Gabriel (@GabrielEda1971) July 25, 2022
Two years later, Hamlin is back in position to challenge for his eighth win at the track, making a solid case for a rock installation at the venue honoring his achievements in the Pocono hills.
