The Cup race at Pocono would have made Denny Hamlin nostalgic. But not in the way you’d think. A few weeks back at Nashville, Denny Hamlin and his #11 team were poised for victory, leading the race until their fuel strategy unraveled in the closing laps. Hamlin took the lead late in the race after a strong charge, only to face multiple restarts due to late-race cautions. Although he held the lead through three overtimes, his team’s fuel calculations were pushed to the limit.

Crew chief Chris Gabehart informed Hamlin they had enough fuel for only one overtime attempt, but as the race saw additional cautions, their strategy began to show its flaws.

The first overtime restart ended abruptly when Kyle Larson, pushing from behind, made contact with Ross Chastain, triggering a crash. The chaos continued into the following restarts, with Hamlin managing to maintain his lead through the unpredictable race However, each restart consumed more precious fuel, and by the fourth overtime attempt, Hamlin was forced to pit for fuel, pulling him back to a disappointing 12th-place finish. However, at the Pocono Raceway, the situation looks different.

The team has yet again decided to go with a highly filled-fuel tank strategy, and this time, it looks like the team is in the lead where others will have to pit yet again to refuel.

On the radio, Chris Gabehart told Denny Hamlin, “All right, currently P16. We have the most fuel in the tank. Everybody that passed you there chose not to wait on fuel. I didn’t want that option.“

Looking back at the Nashville race, it’s fair for Hamlin to be wary of the team’s decisions. Hamlin is in a comfortable position in the race and in the season, with his ticket in the playoffs already with him. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is looking to help his teammate Martin Truex Jr at Pocono maintain his lead from Willian Byron. Only time will tell if Gabehart’s strategy will help Hamlin achieve another victory or if it will have similar results as Nashville.

Stay tuned for more updates.