Source: nascar.com
Denny Hamlin said on Friday that he expected to win the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway. On Monday, he charged to the front from the sixth position with 13th laps left in Monday's rain-postponed race and ended a 50-race drought in the Sprint Cup Series.
After beating Juan Pablo Montoya to the chequered flag by 0.869 seconds, Hamlin wept in Victory Lane, overcome with emotion in the aftermath of the recent deaths of his grandmother, Thelma Clark, and the mother of tire specialist Patrick Mullen at Joe Gibbs Racing.
With the strongest car in the field car at the 2.5-mile triangular track, Hamlin passed Clint Bowyer for the lead off Turn 1 on lap 191 of 200 and stayed in front the rest of the way. Montoya slipped past Bowyer for the second spot on lap 192.
Bowyer finished third. Sam Hornish Jr. was fourth for his best finish in a Cup car, and Kasey Kahne was fifth.
This was Hamlin's first victory since Martinsville in March 2008, and he strengthened his bid for a spot in the Chase for the championship.
"Denny was the car to beat all day," Kahne said.
Brian Vickers, Mark Martin,
Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and
Tony Stewart completed the top 10.
Photo Credit : Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
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