Denny Hamlin kept his win streak alive Sunday at Pocono Raceway, winning his fourth race of the 2026 season and cutting Tyler Reddick's points lead to less than 20. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran looked set to make it another statement weekend by scoring pole position, but he had some work to do once racing got underway. However, Hamlin wasn't to be denied and despite slipping backward at the start, he clawed his way back into the lead to win the first stage before reeling in and passing teammate Christopher Bell in the closing laps to capture the victory. While Hamlin and Toyota continue to have an advantage over the competition, rivals are beginning to close the gap. Two Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets finished in the top five and John Hunter Nemechek actually led the most laps in the race. Success in NASCAR Cup Series racing is defined by thin margins and Hamlin's No. 11 team has their work cut out for them as they work to maintain the success they've enjoyed the past several weeks.
A big unknown awaits the teams this week as they head west to San Diego. The coming race will be a new street-course race, which will be the third road course stop of the season. Tyler Reddick and Shane van Gisbergen won at the two road courses already raced this season, and Van Gisbergen also won the last street course race at Chicago last season.
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Denny Hamlin kept his win streak alive Sunday at Pocono Raceway, winning his fourth race of the 2026 season and cutting Tyler Reddick's points lead to less than 20. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran looked set to make it another statement weekend by scoring pole position, but he had some work to do once racing got underway. However, Hamlin wasn't to be denied and despite slipping backward at the start, he clawed his way back into the lead to win the first stage before reeling in and passing teammate Christopher Bell in the closing laps to capture the victory. While Hamlin and Toyota continue to have an advantage over the competition, rivals are beginning to close the gap. Two Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets finished in the top five and John Hunter Nemechek actually led the most laps in the race. Success in NASCAR Cup Series racing is defined by thin margins and Hamlin's No. 11 team has their work cut out for them as they work to maintain the success they've enjoyed the past several weeks.
A big unknown awaits the teams this week as they head west to San Diego. The coming race will be a new street-course race, which will be the third road course stop of the season. Tyler Reddick and Shane van Gisbergen won at the two road courses already raced this season, and Van Gisbergen also won the last street course race at Chicago last season.
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NASCAR Power Rankings After Pocono
1. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11
Last Week: 1
Denny Hamlin won three consecutive races for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, taking his eight career win at Pocono Raceway. While he wasn't the dominant force throughout the day, Hamlin still had the race under control, winning the caution-free first stage, before passing teammate Christopher Bell, who was in fuel-saving mode, in the final laps to claim the win. His victory and stage points cut the lead in the championship standings down to just 19 points despite Tyler Reddick finishing second. Hamlin and the No. 11 team are in perfect form right now, and all sights are set on claiming a first series championship.
2. Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing No. 45
Last Week: 2
Second place at Pocono was Reddick's 10th top-five finish of the season and his third finish of sixth or better from the last four races. Unfortunately, that to finish didn't come with any stage points earned in either segment of Sunday's race, and that lack of production meant Reddick's lead in the points continued to shrink. Though Reddick continues to deliver the best season of his career, Hamlin has been capable of doing just that little bit extra that has left Reddick falling backward into his clutches. The coming week could be a good shift for the No. 45, though. Reddick is excellent on road and street courses and should be one to watch at San Diego.
3. Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports No. 9
Last Week: 4
The Hendrick Chevrolets are beginning to catch the dominant Toyotas. Races at Michigan and Pocono were both more competitive for drivers like Chase Elliott. Even though he started outside of the top 20, Elliott moved forward to lead nine laps, finishing 11th. A stage point in the second segment was also enough for him to take equal points from the day as points rival Blaney ahead in 10th. Sunday's 11th-place finish also was a nice return to form after crashing out of Michigan while having a car that might have challenged for a top finish. Elliott's current trajectory is driving him up the championship standings as the points battle continues tightening, and two road courses ahead could help him accelerate his climb.
4. Ryan Blaney, Team Penske No. 12
Last Week: 3
Again, Ford could not match the strength of Toyota or Chevrolet. As Chevrolet begins reeling in the streaking Toyotas in recent weeks, Ryan Blaney and his No. 12 Ford continue to pick up the scraps. By executing within their limits and not pushing the situation beyond what is sustainable, Blaney continues to be productive and maintain third position in the points. Sunday's 10th-place finish with just three laps led was his fourth top-10 finish in a row, but the top five and race wins remain out of reach. The coming week's road course races could be a challenge for this team, too. Blaney's best road course finish this season so far was eighth at Circuit of the Americas.
5. Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5
Last Week: 6
Like teammate Elliott, Kyle Larson is also enjoying more competitiveness as Hendrick Motorsports continues refining their machinery. The defending series champion qualified on the front row Sunday at Pocono and led 24 laps before falling back into the clutches of Hamlin. Larson finished second in the first stage and fifth in the race, which was his third top-five finish from the last four races. The early-season struggles this team battled are starting to fade away, and Larson is just 12 points behind the top five in the championship standings. This team is overcoming their early season struggles and race victories could be in the near future if they can maintain this trend.
6. Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54
Last Week: 5
Sunday was another productive day for Gibbs. He qualified on the second row and finished third in the first stage. Form there, he ran a smooth and competitive race to finish ninth for his 10th top-10 finish of the season so far and first since Charlotte. Finishes like Sunday's have been frequent from Gibbs this season, and with every week he is able to deliver that form, a spot in the championship battle looks more likely. The next two races could be a good opportunity to make up some ground, too. Road courses are a strength of his, and using his current pace to maximize results at San Diego and Sonoma could help propel him even further up the standings.
7. Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20
Last Week: 8
Even though the top race finishes have not always materialized, Christopher Bell is demonstrating the pace necessary to finish at the front. He led more than 15 laps in three of the last four races before a crash ended his day at Michigan and fuel mileage forced him to pit on the last lap at Pocono. He also delivered back-to-back second-place finishes just a few weeks ago at Charlotte and Nashville. Despite not yet winning this season, Bell still sits 10th in the championship standings, though. Maintaining his current pace, while avoiding the bad luck he has seemed to have more than his fair share of, should get Bell into Victory Lane sooner rather than later.
8. Chris Buescher, RFK Racing No. 17
Last Week: 10
Two top-10 finishes in the last two races move Buescher up seventh in the championship standings. It has been a good recent run of form for the No. 17 that has earned this production without a lot of flash. Buescher has been the most consistent teammate of the RFL Racing Fords all season and is being rewarded with a potential spot in the championship battle at the end of the season. Without the competitive edge of Toyota and now Chevrolet, Buescher and his No. 17 team just need consistent execution without mistakes, and that is exactly what they have been delivering. Being a good road course racer, Buescher should also be optimistic about continuing to gain ground through the next two races, too.
9. Daniel Suarez, Spire Motorsports No. 7
Last Week: 9
Spire Motorsports and Daniel Suarez extended their run of good form at Pocono. They started Sunday's race on the second row and were competitive throughout the afternoon, scoring stage points in both segments before coming home 13th at the finish. HIs average finish through the last four races is 9.8 and he now sits eighth in the championship standings just 11 points behind Buescher. Spire got a handle on Chevrolet's new body style early on this season and they've built an advantage throughout the races so far. Continuing to deliver these types of performances through the remainder of the long season will be their next challenge.
10. Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports No. 77
Last Week: 7
Sunday's race at Pocono wasn't the worst for Hocevar and the No. 77 team, but it also wasn't the worst. The highlight was scoring stage points in the second segment. After qualifying 26th, Hocevar had a heavy workload ahead of him to get much out of the day, but working his way to the top 10 for those stage points helped soften the blow of an otherwise challenging afternoon. IN the end, he finished 20th, which was his second finish of 20th or lower from the last four races. This team continues to show potential, though. Consistency is what it will take for them to become title contenders, and working on that will be the focus the remainder of this season.
Knocking on the Door
Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19
Last Week: N/A
Briscoe was the defending winner at Pocono, and there was optimism that he would be able to rediscover some of that magic from a year ago. The weekend started well with a top-five starting spot. Briscoe used that positive track position to finish in the points in both stages, too. Unfortunately, he slipped slightly backward to 13th for the finish. However, the afternoon was still good enough to move the No. 19 up one spot in the championship standings to 12th. It has been a slow march forward, but Briscoe and team are still moving in the right direction. This team isn't far away from a few tweaks that are bound to move them into the top 10.
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing No. 23
Last Week: N/A
Last race weekend was another difficult one for the No. 23 squad. A spin in qualifying meant he started at the rear of the field with a ton of work ahead to turn the afternoon around. That situation looked to be heading in a positive direction before a big crash in the second stage collected Wallace's Toyota, making a bad situation even worse. The 21st-place finish he ended the day with was his third finish outside of the top 20 in the last four races. Things don't appear to be getting better anytime soon, either. Wallace isn't known as one of the better racers on road courses and two of those tracks lay immediately ahead. Limiting the damage from their current slide must be the focus in the coming weeks.
Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club No. 43
Last Week: N/A
Jone and Legacy Motor Club have been at the top of their game inr ecent weeks. Jones scored his best finish of the season with an impressive second-place run two weeks ago at Michigan before backing that up with a sixth-place run just a week later at Pocono. In fact, the No. 43 team finished 13th or better in the last four races. That streak of finishes moved Jones into 13th in the championship standings, four points clear from the drop zone. The current stretch has been the best of the season so far from the No. 43 team, and their growing confidence will have them believing that a spot among the championship combatants at the end of the season is within reach.
