LONG POND, Pa. - Rookie Denny Hamlin has earned his first victory in 21 Nextel Cup starts, taking the Pocono 500 at Long Pond, Pennsylvania.
Hamlin overcame a blown tire to become the third driver to win from the pole this year. He held off teammate Tony Stewart and other challengers on the final five laps after the race was red-flagged by Jeff Gordon's scary accident.
The victory allowed Hamlin to move into ninth place as he tries to become the first rookie to qualify for the Chase in its three-year history.
Gordon's day was over after his brakes failed, sending his car hard into the wall with ten laps left. Gordon said he was fine other than a minor headache.
Kurt Busch finished second, eleven months after winning at Pocono. Stewart was third, followed by Brian Vickers and Matt Kenseth.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Saturday
July 19th, 2025
1:55AM
