Denny Hamlin, the oldest full-time driver in the Cup Series at 45, won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday for his third consecutive victory. This win pushed him ahead of the late Kyle Busch for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time wins list.

Hamlin’s Recent Success

His recent success has renewed talk that Hamlin should reconsider retirement when his deal with Joe Gibbs expires at the end of 2027. Despite this, Hamlin has put a stop to such talk, performing at the highest level of his long career.

Hamlin said, “I would certainly say it’s the best we’ve been. We come to the racetrack every week knowing we got a great shot to win. The team’s doing an amazing job giving me exactly what I need in the car every single week. That’s why we’re winning.”

Pocono Victory

Sunday’s win comes nearly 20 years to the date after his first career victory, which was at Pocono on June 11, 2006. Hamlin swept the races at the Pennsylvania track that year. He said Pocono has become “like a second home for me.”

Hamlin’s win tied Richard Petty, who did it in 1966 and 1967, Bobby Allison in 1971, and Darrell Waltrip in 1981. Petty, Allison, and Waltrip are all in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Tyler Reddick, who drives for the 23XI Racing team owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan, finished second as Toyota took the top two spots. Hamlin is now 19 points behind Reddick in the Cup Series standings.

Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.