Denny Hamlin wins the Cup race at Pocono

Notes and quotes from Sunday’s Cup race at Pocono:

— Kyle Larson was upset with winner Denny Hamlin after the race for a move Hamlin made that forced Larson into the wall on a restart with 7 laps to go. Larson told NBC Sports’ Kim Coon: “We’re friends. Yes, this makes things sh—- and awkward, whatever, he’s always right. All the buddies know that he’s always right. So, I’m sure he was in the right there as well. It is what it is. I’m not going to let it tarnish on track, but I am pissed. I feel like I should be pissed.” The contact damaged Larson’s car and he went from battling Hamlin for the lead to finishing 20th.

— Denny Hamlin defended himself. He said he did not hit Larson’s car and also noted that he did not hit Alex Bowman’s car before Bowman spun earlier in the race.

— Martin Truex Jr. has finished in the top three in seven of the last 13 races. That includes three wins.

— Ty Gibbs finished a career-high 5th. His previous best finish in Cup was 9th at Atlanta in March

— Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr.'s seventh-place finish is his 7th top 10 of the season. He had only five top 10s last year. “The guys made some really good adjustments and we got better,” Stenhouse said.

— Erik Jones’ ninth-place finish marks the eighth time he’s placed in the top 10 at Pocono. That’s the most for him at any Cup track. “We capitalized a lot on strategy and some opportunities to get up to the top there at the end,” Jones said.

— Chase Elliott finished 10th. He’s 56 points from the cutline with five races to go. He gained four points on the cutline Sunday. Michael McDowell continues to hold the final playoff spot.

— AJ Allmendinger is the first driver outside a playoff spot. He’s 17 points behind Michael McDowell. Allmendinger finished 17th. McDowell placed 19th.

— Daniel Suarez finished last. He was eliminated in a crash on a restart. He entered the race one point outside of a playoff spot. He’s now 23 points back.

— Austin Dillon finished 34th after contact with Tyler Reddick wrecked Dillon. Dillon threw his helmet at Reddick’s car when he drove by after the incident. “Brad (Keselowski) was on my outside, maybe a half-lane up,” Dillon told NBC Sports’ Kim Coon after exiting the infield care center. “But Tyler (Reddick) drove it in there, and obviously I feel like he drove it in there deep enough where he had to come up the track into me. We can look at the SMT and see the little fine movements that we make, but I felt like that was not the time to do that for the No. 45.”

Denny Hamlin scored his 50th career Cup win Sunday and recorded his seventh win at Pocono, breaking a tie with Jeff Gordon for most Cup victories there in track history. The win also was the 600th in NASCAR for Toyota.

Tyler Reddick finished second. Martin Truex Jr. placed third, giving Toyota a 1-2-3 finish.

Pocono race results | Driver points after Pocono

Kevin Harvick, in his final start at Pocono, placed fourth and was the top Ford.

Ty Gibbs was fifth. Christopher Bell placed sixth.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the top Chevy driver, finishing seventh.

Hamlin is 42 years old and continues a resurgence by drivers 30 and older this season. Hamlin has two wins this season. Martin Truex Jr., who is 43 years old, continues to lead the points and has three wins. Kyle Busch, who is 38 years old, has three wins this season.

Truex leads William Byron by 30 points for the series lead with five races left in the regular season. Hamlin is third in the standings, 55 points behind Truex.

Bubba Wallace holds the next-to-last playoff spot with 465 points. Michael McDowell holds the final playoff spot with 455 points. AJ Allmendinger is the first driver outside a playoff spot. he’s 17 points behind. Daniel Suarez is 23 points from the cutline. Ty Gibbs is 28 points from the cutline.

Denny Hamlin has made NASCAR history at Pocono Raceway.

The veteran driver won under caution and scored his seventh Cup win at the 2.5-mile track. This broke his tie with Jeff Gordon for the most in NASCAR history.

Hamlin took the lead on the restart with three laps to go, and he put himself ahead of teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick.

Ryan Preece spun with two laps to go, but he kept the No. 41 out of the wall. The officials held the yellow until it became clear that he would not be able to get the car re-fired.

Hamlin had taken the white flag at that point, so he became the winner of the race. He celebrated by doing a burnout as the fans in attendance booed him for an earlier incident involving Kyle Larson.

Hamlin also won his 50th Cup race, which broke his tie with Tony Stewart. He is now in a tie with Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 13th all-time.

Hamlin added one other milestone at Pocono. He won Toyota’s 600th race across the three national NASCAR series.

The race at Pocono is getting wild.

The field restarted with less than 10 laps remaining and Denny Hamlin took the lead after pinching Kyle Larson into the outside wall. Kevin Harvick then jumped into second as he tried to chase down Hamlin, but he did not get the opportunity.

Justin Haley crashed hard into the outside wall, which brought out the caution once again. This set up another restart with Hamlin and Harvick running first and second.

The heated moments continued after the yellow flew. Larson pulled up next to Hamlin under caution and made contact with the No. 11 to show his displeasure.

The yellow has flown for Alex Bowman with 11 laps to go at Pocono.

He was running third at the time after passing Denny Hamlin on the restart, but he suddenly spun into the outside wall exiting Turn 3.

Bowman thought that Hamlin had wrecked him. The replay showed that the No. 11 never touched the No. 48. Bowman was just loose before he lost control.

The Arizona native avoided significant damage, and he was able to get back on the track. However, he missed out on the opportunity to get his first top-10 finish since his return from a back injury.

The time has come for another restart at Pocono. Chase Briscoe crashed into the outside wall after contact from Ty Dillon, which brought out the caution with 17 to go.

Corey LaJoie was at the front of the pack at the time of caution with Aric Almirola and Todd Gilliland behind him. None of these drivers had yet made their green flag pit stops.

Once they headed to pit road, Kyle Larson inherited the lead. He led Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., and Alex Bowman as they prepared for the restart.

Chase Elliott and William Byron actually headed down pit road with numerous other drivers as they prepared for the restart. They would have moved solidly inside of the top 10 with less than 16 to go by staying out, but their crew chiefs made a different call.

The final run to the checkered flag is unfolding at Pocono.

The majority of green flag pit stops have taken place, but Tyler Reddick has yet to stop for fuel. He holds the lead over Corey LaJoie, Harrison Burton, Aric Almirola and Todd Gilliland. All of these drivers have yet to pit.

Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr, and Alex Bowman run in sixth through ninth as the drivers with the most fuel and the freshest tires.

Will a member of this group win at Pocono, or will another driver steal a win after gambling on fuel strategy?

Austin Dillon has brought out the caution again at Pocono Raceway. He hit the wall hard in Turn 1 after putting himself on the cusp of the top 10.

The incident occurred as Dillon was in the middle of Tyler Reddick and Brad Keselowski. He came down the race track and made contact with his former Richard Childress Racing teammate, which sent the No. 3 up into the outside wall.

This collision ended Dillon’s day and led to a show of anger. He climbed out of his car and then waited in the infield until he could throw his helmet at Reddick.

This caution was the second of the day for Dillon. The first occurred on Lap 42 after BJ McLeod made contact with the No. 3 and sent it into the outside wall.

Dillon avoided major damage in this incident, and he was able to put himself in a position to pursue a top-10 finish. The crash after contact with Reddick ended his day.

Dillon entered the Pocono weekend 29th in the regular-season standings and in a must-win situation to make the playoffs. He left with a 34th-place finish.

The yellow flag flew on Lap 92 as Christopher Bell spun on the exit of Turn 1. He avoided damage, but he shook up the running order.

The incident occurred with four laps remaining in stage 2. Kyle Larson was just making the move to pit road as Bell spun. He swerved back onto the track and remained in the lead ahead of Ty Dillon, who had yet to pit.

Larson had to go into maximum fuel saving mode as the race remained under caution. The No. 5 team’s hope was that he would have just enough to win the stage under caution and then pit for fuel and tires.

“Will I be able to make it back to pit road?” Larson asked over the radio.

“Fingers crossed. Just do everything you can to nurse it,” crew chief Cliff Daniels responded.

The stage 2 win added a playoff point to Larson’s total, but it also put an emphasis on history. Per Racing Insights, none of the 11 stage two winners at Pocono have gone on to win the race.

For Bell, the single-car spin continued a frustrating stretch in which the No. 20 has had speed but has missed out on wins due to mistakes.

“I mean it’s really crazy,” Bell said at New Hampshire. “My finishes have been atrocious lately and we are still right in the hunt, so that is a good thing for me, so hopefully, if we can start cleaning up our finishes, I will be able to capitalize on that.”

Stage 2 started with three consecutive cautions on restarts, but the drivers were able to put some green flag laps on their cars.

William Byron started stage 2 from the front of the pack after pitting early in stage 1. He remained in this position until the race reached its halfway point.

Byron stretched his fuel until Lap 80, which set him up to complete the race with only one stop in the final stage. If the race remains green, he can stop on Lap 120 and reach the end.

Byron was one of the final lead lap cars to head down pit road for fresh tires and fuel, but he was able to blend back inside of the top 10. He raced in front of teammate Alex Bowman with 14 laps remaining in the stage.

The yellow flag has flown for the third consecutive time on a stage 2 restart.

Following a caution for Austin Dillon spinning into the outside wall, the field lined up once again for another restart. They did not make it through Turn 1 before Kyle Larson spun into the outside wall from the second position.

The replay and radio communication showed that Christopher Bell had made contact with the rear of Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet. This sent it toward the outside wall.

The entire field was behind Larson, but there were no other cars collected. Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney split Larson while the other drivers made their own evasive maneuvers.

The first stage at Pocono only had one caution for JJ Yeley spinning. The second stage started with two back-to-back cautions.

The first yellow flag was for Daniel Suarez and Joey Logano crashing on the stage 2 restart. The second caution was for Austin Dillon spinning as the race returned to green flag conditions.

The incident occurred as Dillon raced in 26th. BJ McLeod moved up the track and made contact with the No. 3 Chevrolet, which sent it spinning toward the outside wall.

Dillon backed the No. 3 into the outside wall, but he avoided major damage. He was able to re-fire the Chevrolet before heading to pit road. He received a penalty for pitting too soon.

The playoff bubble has undergone a significant change. A crash on the stage 2 restart collected Daniel Suarez and led to heavy damage to the front of the No. 99 Chevrolet.

The incident began entering Turn 1. Stage 1 winner Joey Logano spun into the outside wall as the rest of the field moved to the inside to avoid him. His No. 22 avoided significant damage, but he lost multiple laps after having to get a push back to pit road.

Suarez, who entered the race weekend one point below the cutline, spun after contact from Bubba Wallace. The 23XI Racing driver was sent to the left by Michael McDowell, which pinched him into Suarez’s No. 99.

The Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet spun into the outside wall and made hard contact with the outside wall. This crumpled the hood of the No. 99 and put him on the Damaged Vehicle Policy clock.

The team attempted to make repairs and then sent Suarez out on the track so that he could try to meet minimum speed.

NASCAR then called him back to pit road as the No. 99 was leaking fluid on the track. His day ended at that point as he went to the garage.

One stage is complete at Pocono Raceway, and Joey Logano has added an extra playoff point to this total.

William Byron started from the pole. He led until the caution flew on Lap 6 for a J.J. Yeley spin. Logano then jumped to the front of the pack after Kevin Harvick, Byron and Kyle Larson went three-wide on the restart.

Larson chased Logano down and put himself within two-tenths of a second, but he fell further back as the race remained green.

Logano stayed out on track until the end of the stage, but several other drivers headed to pit road. This included Larson, Byron, Harvick, and Christopher Bell.

Running order at the end of stage 1:

1. Joey Logano
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Tyler Reddick
5. AJ Allmendinger
6. Michael McDowell
7. Bubba Wallace
8. Justin Haley
9. Chris Buescher
10. Erik Jones

The first caution flag has flown at Pocono Raceway.

J.J. Yeley spun coming out of Turn 1. He almost straightened out the No. 15 Rick Ware Racing Ford Mustang, but he made contact with the inside wall. He said over the radio that there was not too much damage.

Yeley was outside of the top 30 and racing in front of Todd Gilliland at the time of the spin. The radio communication indicated that Gilliland had made contact with the rear of the No. 15, but the replay angle did not provide a clear view of the incident.

The green flag is in the air at Pocono Raceway, marking the start of the 400-mile Cup race.

William Byron led the field to the green flag from the outside line while Martin Truex Jr. lined up on the inside. Once the flag waved, Byron quickly cleared for the lead while Kevin Harvick lost two spots after sliding up the track.

Truex remained in second while Joey Logano moved up to third. Bubba Wallace went from 10th to sixth on the opening lap after diving to the inside.

Ty Gibbs had a slight issue on the second lap. He slapped the outside wall with the No. 54 Toyota, but he avoided major damage.

The Cup Series race at Pocono could be a milestone event for Denny Hamlin. The six-time Pocono winner enters the weekend with 49 career Cup wins.

If Hamlin can tame the Tricky Triangle once again, he could simultaneously reach 50 Cup wins while breaking his tie with Jeff Gordon for the most Pocono wins all-time.

Hamlin’s last win at Pocono took place during the 2020 season when he split the two-race series with Kevin Harvick. He has since finished fourth, 14^th and 35^th (disqualification).

A win by Hamlin — or any other Toyota driver — would help the OEM reach its own milestone. Toyota only needs one win to reach 600 across the three national series. Its drivers have won 176 times in the Cup Series, 196 times in the Xfinity Series and 227 times in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Chevrolet drivers have captured the first two races of the weekend. Kyle Busch won the Truck Series race and then Austin Hill won the Xfinity Series race.

Other storylines to watch:

—There are two drivers that will start the Cup race from the rear of the field. Todd Gilliland and Chase Elliott both spun during the opening round of qualifying and were unable to complete a lap. They will have to attempt to work their way through the field early in order to push for stage points. Bubba Wallace hit the wall during the final round of qualifying, but his team did not make any repairs that would force him to the rear of the field.

—NASCAR has dealt with multiple rain delays since the Coca-Cola 600. The forecast entering the Pocono weekend called for sunny skies during the Cup race. It has since changed. According to Weather Underground, there is a 60% chance of precipitation throughout the day. Though it decreases to around 15% as the evening approaches.