Denny Hamlin wins NASCAR Cup race at Pocono Raceway

Denny Hamlin battled through yet another confrontation with Ross Chastain late in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway and won for the third time this year.

Chastain and Hamlin were first and second on a restart in the closing miles. Hamlin shot to the inside of Chastain and edged up the track, limiting Chastain’s lane. Chastain hit the outside wall, was hit by Kevin Harvick and slid into the inside wall and out of the race.

Chastain was running second to Kyle Busch with 38 laps to go when Busch pitted for fuel and tires. Chastain pitted a lap later. His pit crew’s work was about two seconds faster than Busch’s, and Chastain returned to the track in first place.

The race scenario changed with 23 laps to go when Ryan Blaney slid through turn three and sailed into the outside pit wall, bringing out a caution flag. That set up a restart with Chastain and Hamlin side-by-side, leading to anticipation that the two might have another on-track altercation.

Hamlin didn’t push Chastain into the wall on the restart, but he limited Chastain’s room to race. Hamlin had made it clear earlier in the season that he planned to get some revenge at some point for what Hamlin has described as Chastain’s rough driving. After Sunday’s incident, Chastain said it was “something I’ve been owed for a few months now.”

Hamlin said Chastain “just ran out of race track.”

Hamlin won for the 49th time in his Cup career (and his seventh at Pocono) despite banging into the second-turn wall on the first lap and later spinning out. Following him in the top five were Busch, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suarez.

The track’s final stage began with Kyle Busch and Chastain on the front row, and with weather threatening.

Restarts were