Denny Hamlin always seems to put on a show when the NASCAR Cup Series rolls into Pocono Raceway.
And yet it was on lucky win No. 7 at the track that the Joe Gibbs Racing star drew the ire of the Tricky Triangle’s animated fan base.
MORE: Hamlin, Larson engage in war of words after contact: ‘Denny’s always right’
Hamlin impressed for large portions of Sunday’s race, in the end outlasting teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Tyler Reddick to pick up gold in Pennsylvania.
But it was a race marred by what fans deemed an unseemly move on Hamlin’s part. And as he took his parade down the slick pavement, the concourses burst with venom.
The move in question was a confrontation between Hamlin and Kyle Larson. Deep in the final stage, Hamlin appeared to make contact with Larson, who had spent much of the last two stages competing for the win. His love tap forced the No. 5 car into the wall. And despite initially looking to have taken little damage, the devil lay in the details. Larson dropped from a top-three run to a P21 finish, unable to recover as Hamlin laid siege to the rest of his competitors.
MORE: Austin Dillon throws helmet at ex-teammate Tyler Reddick’s car
“It is what it is,” Larson said post-race. “I’m not going to let it tarnish our friendship on track, but I am pissed. And I feel like I should be pissed.”
“I am pissed.”@KyleLarsonRacin on Denny Hamlin. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/vWrXN3GasI
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
Hamlin was in a much cheerier mood at the end of the festivities. Gripping his signature post-race bottle of Coca-Cola, he indicated that he didn’t touch Larson, let alone wreck him. He added that the Hendrick Motorsports star isn’t one to talk about aggressive driving, especially with his track record.
“You have an option in those positions, to either hold it wide open and hit the fence or lift and race it out,” said Hamlin, who had contact with Larson’s teammate Alex Bowman earlier in the race. “Those are choices they made. . . . I didn’t touch them.”
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
Hamlin initiated a similar incident with Ross Chastain at Pocono last season.
MORE: Watch NASCAR races with Fubo (free trial)
Love him or hate him, Hamlin is a natural entertainer. And he made sure to flash that flair for the dramatic at one of NASCAR’s most treacherous spots, riding He now sits at 50 Cup Series wins in his career.
The Sporting News tracked live updates from this year’s HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway. Below are some of the highlights and live results as the Cup Series returned to the Tricky Triangle.
NASCAR at Pocono results
(Official results)
Place
Driver
Car No.
Team
1
Denny Hamlin
11
Joe Gibbs Racing
2
Tyler Reddick
45
23XI Racing
3
Martin Truex Jr.
19
Joe Gibbs Racing
4
Kevin Harvick
4
Stewart-Haas Racing
5
Ty Gibbs
54
Joe Gibbs Racing
6
Christopher Bell
20
Joe Gibbs Racing
7
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
37
JTG Daugherty Racing
8
Harrison Burton
21
Wood Brothers Racing
9
Erik Jones
43
Legacy Motor Club
10
Chase Elliott
9
Hendrick Motorsports
NASCAR at Pocono live updates, highlights from 2023 race
(All times Eastern)
6:10 p.m.: Hamlin leading with one lap left! Ryan Preece goes spinning and, after a while, the officials wave the yellow flag. Hamlin will pick up win No. 50, seven of which have come at Pocono! Crowd is not too pleased with the way things went.
6:08 p.m.: Four laps remaining. Here we go! Green flag waved! Hamlin’s line doing a lot of work right now.
6:02 p.m.: CAUTION! Hard racing by the likes of Hamlin, Larson, Truex and Harvick. But just as things got interesting, Haley goes tumbling. Looks like Larson is mad at Hamlin for the way he was racing him. Hard contact to the point that it forces the No. 5 car out of its groove. Larson gets into the No. 11 under yellow.
5:53 p.m.: CAUTION! Bowman goes into the corner! Hamlin gave him some time to make a move, but looks the No. 48 just lost control. Bowman seems to think Hamlin wrecked him, but the No. 11 made no contact with the No. 48.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 23, 2023
5:52 p.m.: Hamlin falls away. It’s Larson vs. Truex for first. Larson winning the battle at the moment.
5:51 p.m.: 13 laps to go and we’re back to green! Larson and Hamlin setting the pace!
5:46 p.m.: Plenty of cars make their way to the pits, with the focus seeming to be tires: plenty of four-tire stops to freshen things up.
5:44 p.m.: LaJoie, Almirola and Gilliland headed to pit road. That will bring Larson back to the front.
5:42 p.m.: CAUTION! Chase Briscoe goes twirling! Ty Dillon rear ends him sending him rumbling toward the wall. That looked mighty intentional.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 23, 2023
5:36 p.m.: Larson still holding out well among cars with enough fuel to make it to the finish line. However, Hamlin and Truex aren’t too far behind. Larson and Hamlin with two new tires; Truex has four. Going to be a tough road back for the No. 19, although he certainly should have better traction than his counterparts.
5:27 p.m.: Larson will race for the lead at some point. He’s in tenth at the moment, but all nine cars in front of him will need to refuel before the end of the race.
Among those who have done their final pit stop, Kyle Larson is the highest-running car. 37 laps to go.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 23, 2023
5:22 p.m.: Pit stops underway as we approach 40 laps remaining in the final stage. Truex holds the lead, although he’ll be displaced as he heads over to this crew.
5:13 p.m.: It’s not quite clear whether Reddick is to blame for the wreck. One person not taking his side, though: Richard Childress. The Boss is not pleased with the No. 45 car, it seems.
“That little prick just wrecked him” RC on the Dillon/Reddick incident.#NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) July 23, 2023
5:07 p.m.: And Dillon throws his helmet at his former teammate Reddick!
AUSTIN DILLON THROWS HIS HELMET AT TYLER REDDICK! 😳 #NASCAR | @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/0nYgcCtzlZ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
5:05 p.m.: CAUTION! It’s Dillon again! He’s into the wall at Turn 1. Gnarly contact with the outside wall. The No. 3 is in tatters. Dillon is not happy at all.
The No. 3 hits the outside wall in Turn 1! pic.twitter.com/0aaxFwHXMW
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 23, 2023
4:44 p.m.: Bell’s caution puts Larson into a pickle. He’s running dangerous low on fuel. He might have enough to get him to the end of the stage. But that’s no guarantee. Even then, he’d have to go another couple miles to make it to pit road. Could be a tricky period for the No. 5.
4:42 p.m.: CAUTION! Bell goes spinning! He can do bad all by himself. He was running in P11 going along the turn. Sixth caution of the day.
4:32 p.m.: The boys out front are headed to pit road. 14 laps to go in Stage 2. That will bring Larson and Harvick to the front.
4:21 p.m.: Wallace to the pits.
4:18 p.m.: Allmendinger to pit road. Will be interesting to see if other drivers try their luck soon enough.
4:16 p.m.: Been a strong run for Ty Gibbs, who sit in third place with 31 laps left in Stage 2. The rookie has been a consistent fixture in and around the Top 10 throughout the season. But could he claim his first Cup Series win?
4:10 p.m.: Kyle Busch pushing hard. However, it may have been a bit overzealous: nearly brushes off the wall trying to make his way around the bend. Not a great day for the No. 8.
4:08 p.m.: Cindric waves at Stenhouse, leading to a bit of a confrontation between the No. 2 and the No. 47. That will be one to look for. Logano ruled out after not meeting pit road.
4:05 p.m.: Cindric unable to get out of the bottom. No momentum out there for the No. 2 car. He’s down to 15th.
4:03 p.m.: Back to green! Let’s hope we can get through Turn 1 without any problems! Byron and Bell leading the charge.
4:00 p.m.: Suarez knocked out of today’s race. Another disheartening run for the Trackhouse star, who will almost certainly drop further down the ladder as his hopes for a playoff spot rapidly disintegrate.
3:50 p.m.: CAUTION! It happens again! Race restart brings with it another caution, this time courtesy of Larson. Christopher Bell gives a late shove on Larson, sending the rear of the No. 5 car into the wall!
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
3:40 p.m.: CAUTION! This time it’s Austin Dillon, who goes twirling after feeling a little contact on Turn 1. Things are getting wild at the Tricky Triangle.
3:34 p.m.: CAUTION! Things get hectic on the restart! Logano and Daniel Suarez leave laundry on the track after spinning out going into Turn 1. Logano has four flat tires, while Suarez — who sits right around the cut line — looks like he could be in real danger of getting knocked out the race.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
3:21 p.m.: Steady stream of cars flooding into pit road after Larson departs the race track. Logano will stay out in front, however. Playoff hopefuls Allmendinger, McDowell and Wallace will stay with him to pick up stage points.
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) July 23, 2023
3:18 p.m.: Rough start for Corey LaJoie, who sits in P35 after incurring a flat tire early in Stage 1. The Spire Motorsports driver started the day in P12 and had high hopes for his chances. Not looking too good now, though.
This contact forces @CoreyLaJoie to make an unscheduled pit stop early in Stage 1. #HighPoint400 pic.twitter.com/jgEk1ACwlR
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 23, 2023
3:15 p.m.: Logano still holding firm at the top of the track. We’re just eight laps away from the end of Stage 1. Things have been fairly clean save for Yeley’s wreck.
3:06 p.m.: Race restart sees Joey Logano race to the front. Kyle Larson in second, followed by pole winner Byron. Wallace falling fast. He’s down to P13.
2:55 p.m.: CAUTION! First canary emblem of the day waved after J.J. Yeley goes spinning into the inside barrier. Made pretty substantial contact with the bunker.
2:52 p.m.: Three laps down and not much carnage thus far. Ty Gibbs made a little contact with the wall going around a bend. But things have been fairly calm. Byron and Truex still out in front. Wallace up four spots to P6.
2:50 p.m.: We’re green at Pocono! William Byron and Martin Truex Jr. leading from the front!
2:40 p.m.: We’re about 10 minutes from the dropping of the green flag. Driver’s commands being read out. In the words of Marvin Gaye, “Let’s Get It On.”
2:20 p.m.: Plenty of collisions throughout Pocono’s sordid history. Drivers will have to be cognizant of just how gnarly things can be at the Tricky Triangle.
2:00 p.m.: Tight race at the equator, with Bubba Wallace and Michael McDowell hanging on for dear life in the final playoff positions.
1:20 p.m.: For the first time in ages, it seems like a Cup Series race is not on track to be significantly affected by rain. Oh joy!
There could be some drops but shouldn’t be much. pic.twitter.com/RItqerPl0W
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 23, 2023
What channel is the NASCAR race on today?
TV channel: USA (U.S.) | TSN5 (Canada)
Live stream: Peacock, Fubo
The HighPoint.com 400 will be broadcast on USA Network in the United States. Canadian viewers can follow the action on TSN5.
MORE: Why NASCAR is on NBC & USA instead of Fox
Veteran broadcaster Rick Allen will lead NBC’s coverage, serving as the race’s lap-by-lap announcer. He’ll be joined in the booth by Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Steve Letarte.
Fans can watch online via Peacock or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
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