For Bob PockrassFOX Sports NASCAR Writer
LONG POND, Penn. – Denny Hamlin thought he had his seventh win at Pocono Raceway when he crossed the finish line first Sunday ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch.
But in a rare move, the first of its kind since 1960, NASCAR disqualified a Cup winner. NASCAR found that both Hamlin’s winning car and Busch’s car had material on the front fascia (the nose of the car) that was not allowed by NASCAR rules. The material in question could affect the behavior of the car.
Both Hamlin and Busch were disqualified, leading to third-place finisher Chase Elliott being declared the winner.
JGR has until midday Monday to decide whether to appeal, which is highly likely, and the appeal will be heard this week.
“There was really no reason why there was any material that was somewhere it shouldn’t have been,” said NASCAR Cup Series director Brad Moran. “And that basically boils down to a DQ… I can’t go into all the details of what the issues were.
“But both vehicles had the same problem. And unfortunately, they were not acceptable to pass inspection.”
Hamlin’s final finish was 35th and Busch was 36th.
NASCAR will return the cars to its research and development center, but for now, no additional penalties or suspensions are issued to the Hamlin and Busch teams.
Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch disqualified after Pocono race
Quick Thoughts: NASCAR must have thought JGR’s violations were egregious to disqualify the first two cars to finish at Pocono on Sunday.
Joe Gibbs said in a statement that the team will evaluate what happened. He did not say whether they will appeal.
“We were shocked to learn of the violation that caused both of our cars to fail NASCAR’s post-race technical inspection,” Gibbs said. “We intend to review every part of the process that led to this situation.”
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Here are three takeaways from Pocono:
Elliott the leader
With Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney out of the race due to crashes, Elliott now has a 105-point lead over Chastain for the regular-season title with five races remaining.
The regular season champion earns 15 playoff points, and the runner-up earns 10. These playoff points are added to a driver’s reset total at the start of the playoff rounds and can mark a large difference in whether a driver advances to the NASCAR postseason.
But Elliott was not interested in discussing the regular season title after Sunday’s race, when he thought he had finished third and fell short of his fourth win of the year.
“We were lucky to be third,” Elliott said. “That means we’ve got to be a little bit better, and that’s where my focus is right now: How do we get better, how do we get better than the guys that beat us today?”
Duel Hamlin-Chastain
Hamlin took the lead as he battled nemesis Chastain with 18 laps to go: Chastain spun and crashed after being pinched into the wall by Hamlin, and Hamlin never looked back as he crossed the finish line for in front of his teammate.
Chastain said he didn’t think Hamlin would have raced him the way he did if they hadn’t had altercations at Gateway and Atlanta.
“I had this coming,” Chastain said. “If I had run smarter two months ago, I would have had a lot of room in Turn 1. I’ve realized that in the last month or two, and it’s too late for that.”
Hamlin said the way Chastain and others have run has dictated how he runs.
“It’s a compliment to say that I wouldn’t normally do that,” Hamlin said. “And I wouldn’t. It’s a shame because I would have loved to run hard. And I did. I just went up the track and he ran out of real estate.
“That’s just part of the sport we have. NASCAR doesn’t get into these things because they want the drivers to.”
Denny Hamlin crosses the finish line first at Pocono
Denny Hamlin holds off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch to finish first in the Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway before being disqualified.
Ty Gibbs debuts as Kurt Busch’s replacement
Kurt Busch missed the race on Sunday after experiencing concussion-like symptoms following a crash on Saturday in qualifying. Pocono Raceway doctors did not clear him to race after re-examining him Sunday morning.
That made Ty Gibbs, grandson of Joe Gibbs and the winner of four Xfinity Series races this season, making his Cup debut. Gibbs had never raced the Next Gen car, and got some simulator time in North Carolina at 1 a.m. Sunday before heading back to Pocono to race.
He finished 16th in the race.
“I felt like I learned a lot,” Gibbs, 19, said. “I’m very grateful. It was almost a top-15. It was fun racing with Brad [Keselowski]. I never thought I would compete with these guys.
“It was great to be on the court with them. So for 10-year-old Ty, this means a lot. I don’t think I would have expected this.”
Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the last 30 Daytona 500. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 after stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Looking for more NASCAR content? Subscribe to the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!
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