Winners and losers from a somewhat predictable NASCAR Cup race at Pocono

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The 16th round of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season at Pocono Raceway had a fairly predictable ending, as Denny Hamlin collected his 64th career win and his eighth at the ‘Tricky Triangle’ over championship leader Tyler Reddick.

But there was still plenty to discuss after 400 miles and 160 laps of action around the unique track. NASCAR will now head west to California for a street race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, and then a traditional road course race at Sonoma Raceway.

But before we look westward, let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from Pocono Raceway:

WINNER: Denny Hamlin closes in on championship lead with another perfect race

Watch: Trifecta! Hamlin celebrates third straight win at Pocono

Hamlin truly looks infallible at the moment after winning his third consecutive Cup Series race. Tyler Reddick’s 129-point lead has been reduced to just 19pts in four short races, even as he finished second on Sunday. Hamlin has roared past Kyle Busch on the all-time wins list, recently joined the 50 poles/50 wins club, and it seems like he can do no wrong. Now, the next two weeks on street/road courses are likely to make him look more human as Hamlin is at his weakest when right turns are involved, but Pocono was just the latest example of how the 45-year-old is only getting better behind the wheel.

LOSER: Christopher Bell falls one lap short of fuel save gamble paying off

Watch: Christopher Bell reflects on late fuel gamble

A lot of people thought Bell wouldn’t even be racing this weekend after a 63G crash left him with a fractured left wrist at Michigan, but here he was. It wasn’t a great race for Bell, but a bold fuel-save strategy from crew chief Adam Stevens nearly netted him a top five or top ten finish, but he ran out of fuel with one lap to go and had to pit. That sent him back to 26th place, and now he faces a very difficult challenge due to his injury with San Diego and Sonoma ahead of him.

WINNER: Legacy Motor Club continues impressive upward climb

Watch: Nemechek proud of P4 finish: ‘We are working in the right direction’

The Toyotas are very fast this year, and we mean JGR, 23XI, *and* Legacy Motor Club. After Erik Jones’ runner-up finish last weekend, he placed sixth at Pocono. Even more impressive than that is the fact that he wasn’t even the top LMC driver! Teammate John Hunter Nemechek finished fourth for his first top five of the year, leading 42 laps — a career-high for Nemechek. In fact, he led more laps on Sunday than his entire 2025 season combined. Jones was also the biggest mover in points, jumping three spots and moving just above the Chase cut-off line. Legacy is becoming a true threat all of sudden, and is likely to reach Victory Lane in the near-future if they keep it up.

LOSER: Brad Keselowski falls outside the Chase

While Jones moved up into the top 16, he replaced Keselowski who fell below the Chase cut-line. The RFK co-owner has three straight DNFs with finishes of 34th, 34th, and 38th at Pocono — dead last. He was caught up in a wreck he didn’t cause, and now he sits 17th in points with little to show for his efforts. With the recent misfortune that hit Ryan Preece as well, RFK now has just one driver left in the Chase field, while all three were looking comfortable just about a month ago.

WINNER: Chris Buescher leads the way for Ford

Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford

While it was a tough weekend for most of RFK Racing, Buescher continues to be the outlier. He finished seventh, which was first among all Ford drivers. Buescher has been the model of consistency, and has bumped up to seventh in the standings with his eighth top ten in the first 16 races of the year.

LOSER: Zane Smith makes costly error while battling at the front

Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports

Smith has been very impressive in recent weeks, but Pocono was a misstep for the driver of the No. 38 FRM Ford. Battling for third while on an alternate strategy, Smith lost control and crashed into the inside wall, ending his Pocono race after just 66 laps. Still, there was a bright spot for Front Row Motorsports as Smith’s teammate Todd Gilliland earned his first-career stage win.

WINNER: Ross Chastain secures best-ever Pocono finish

Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

The No. 1 Trackhouse team has to take whatever positives they can find right now, and Sunday was a rare bright spot in an otherwise difficult 2026 season. Chastain finished eighth, securing his best-ever finish at Pocono and his first top ten on a non-drafting track this year. Chastain is still 61pts outside of the Chase, but Sunday’s result moved him eleven points closer to the cut-line.

LOSER: Defending Pocono winner Chase Briscoe fails to capitalize

Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing, John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club

Briscoe’s stated goal is to be inside the top five in the standings by the time the regular season ends, giving him a great shot at challenging for the title following the reset. And while he had a fine race, the No. 19 team has to feel Pocono was a missed opportunity. He entered this race as the defending winner, but he only finished 12th, and remains almost 100 points away from reaching fifth in the standings.

BONUS WINNER: NASCAR and Prime Video for moving up the start time

Nascar prime logo

NASCAR worked together with streaming partner Prime Video to proactively move up the start time of Sunday’s Cup race a full two hours due to the threat of inclement weather later in the day. It was great to have an early afternoon Cup race, but it was even better to see how flexible Prime Video was with adjusting start times, ensuring all 160 laps were completed without a single delay.

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