Home / NASCAR / Denny Hamlin Made History at Pocono Raceway as a Rookie and Is Looking to Make a Little More at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ This Doubleheader Weekend Denny Hamlin Made History at Pocono Raceway as a Rookie and Is Looking to Make a Little More at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ This Doubleheader Weekend Written by Sports EditorLuke Norris Updated –Jun 24, 2021 We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team. 44-time NASCAR Cup Series winner Denny Hamlin will likely always have a soft spot for Pocono Raceway. After all, it’s where he won his first-ever Cup Series race in 2006, his first full season in the premier series, and also a year in which he made history at “The Tricky Triangle.” And he’ll look to make a little more history this weekend as he’ll have two chances to break a tie with Jeff Gordon as the all-time leader in wins on the 2.5-mile tri-oval. Denny Hamlin won his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway in June 2006 After making seven Cup Series starts in 2005, Hamlin began his official rookie season in 2006 with five top-10 finishes in his first 13 starts, including a runner-up finish in Richmond. Coming off an 11th-place finish at Dover, the then-25-year-old came into Pocono Raceway, took the second pole of his young career, and got off to a fantastic start in the 200-lap Pocono 500. He led 49 of the first 50 laps before cutting the left-rear tire of his No. 11 FedEx Chevrolet and while he was able to avoid a major accident, he did have to run the remainder of the race with a damaged left-rear fender and dropped all the way back to 40th place. Refusing to quit, Hamlin gradually worked his way back toward the front of the field, eventually passing Greg Biffle with 36 laps to go and hanging on for a 1.328-second victory over Kurt Busch. But Hamlin certainly wasn’t done for the season at “The Tricky Triangle.” Six weeks later, he became the first rookie to sweep both Cup Series races at ‘The Tricky Triangle’ in the same season Six weeks later, Hamlin returned to Pocono Raceway for the running of the Cup Series Pennsylvania 500. In the five races since his first victory, he’d finished 17th or better in each, including a sixth-place finish in New Hampshire the week before his second career start at Pocono. Hamlin again took the pole in qualifying but there wouldn’t be nearly as much drama this time around. Running a near-perfect race, Hamlin led 151 of 200 laps on the way to a 1.510-second victory, again over Kurt Busch, who was the defending champion. Busch was able to cut into Hamlin’s lead on the final restart with 16 laps remaining, but Hamlin was truly never in danger of losing the race. With the win, Hamlin became the first rookie in history to sweep both Cup Series events at Pocono Raceway in the same season and just the sixth overall, joining Bobby Allison, Bill Elliott, Tim Richmond, Bobby Labonte, and Jimmie Johnson. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the only other driver to accomplish the feat since, doing so in 2014. Hamlin didn’t record another victory that season but finished third in the points standings and was named Rookie of the Year. Hamlin becomes the solo leader in all-time wins at Pocono Raceway if he can take another checkered flag on the 2.5-mile tri-oval Denny Hamlin celebrates his victory at the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway | Chris Trotman/Getty Images Since the ’06 sweep, Hamlin has recorded four additional Cup Series victory at Pocono Raceway. While not a same-season sweep, he won back-to-back starts at “The Tricky Triangle” with victories at the 2009 Sunoco Red Cross 500 and the 2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500. But he then went nine years without a win on the track until taking the checkered flag at the 2019 Gander RV 400. And just last year, Hamlin won the Pocono 350, the second race of the doubleheader weekend in Long Pond, tying him with Jeff Gordon for the most all-time Cup Series victories at Pocono Raceway with six. With a second consecutive doubleheader at the track on tap this weekend, Hamlin will have two chances to take the all-time lead on his own, first on Saturday in the Pocono Organics CBD 325, and then on Sunday with the running of the Explore the Pocono Mountains 350. Despite zero wins in 17 starts this season, Hamlin does have nine top-five finishes on the year and is just ahead (10 points) of Kyle Larson, the winner of the last three official Cup Series races and one of the All-Star races, in the No. 1 spot in the points standings. Stats courtesy of Racing Reference RELATED: Denny Hamlin Mimicked One of Michael Jordan’s Most Iconic Moments Following a Dominating Victory Written by Sports EditorLuke Norris Luke Norris began his sportswriting career in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2020. The former Section Editor of the NFL and Motorsports sections, he now spends his time here in the role of Senior Writer-Programmer. His well-rounded sports knowledge allows him to cover the NFL, NBA, PGA Tour, MLB, boxing, WWE, and NASCAR for Sportscasting. Luke is an avid golfer who finds inspiration in the way sports can bring people together and provide a distraction from the real world. He hopes to provide a little entertainment or an escape from the real world with every article he writes, even if only for a few minutes. In addition to his work here at Sportscasting, Luke's work has appeared on The Sportster, Inquisitr, GiveMeSport, FanSided, Yahoo! Fox Sports, and Sports Illustrated. All posts by Luke Norris
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