It was a race against time for Denny Hamlin to secure his eighth victory at Pocono Raceway. Having led most of the race, (31 laps), the defending Pocono champion was forced to settle for a second-place finish, trailing reigning Cup Series winner Ryan Blaney by 1.3 seconds. On a track that Toyota has historically excelled in, it was Blaney’s No. 12 Ford Mustang that stole the crown and emerged victorious, securing the Team Penske driver’s second win of the season.

Even though it was Denny Hamlin’s best result since his runner-up finish at World Wide Technology Raceway over five races ago, the 43-year-old was visibly disappointed at the result but modestly covered up any shortcomings in the post-race interview.

Denny Hamlin puts up a brave face despite crushing defeat

Despite dominating a significant portion of the race, Denny Hamlin was racing against the clock at ‘The Tricky Triangle’. After Ryan Blaney inherited the lead with 44 laps to go, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was looking to make track positions in hopes of snatching a victory. Hamlin overtook Alex Bowman with 7 laps remaining to trail Blaney by two seconds and stepped on the gas to make up the deficit. Despite his lightning-quick pace, Hamlin couldn’t get close enough to Blaney to make the pass, closing the gap to just 1.312 seconds before running out of laps.

Speaking in the post-race interview with NBC Sports, a disheartened Denny Hamlin modestly covered up his team’s shortcomings by saying, “I never lose a race. Just always run out of time right? That’s just part of it. Track position is such a big thing. When the (Blaney) jumped (to pit early) on that stage that we won, that put them in front of us. Certainly was going to be hard to pass. Just not enough laps of green there toward the end but hats off to them. Great run.”

According to Denny Hamlin, Blaney’s ability to capitalize on the restarts in the final 38 laps of the race made all the difference in the result. The Team Penske driver got away quickly thrice, forcing Hamlin to play catch-up towards the end of the race. “He kept great pace up there towards the front. Really hard for me to even try to get close to reeling him in,” Hamlin said. “Shame we couldn’t get to Victory Lane. Another day.”

Having started the race in fourth place, fans were predicting another Toyota-dominant race at Pocono Raceway. After all, three out of the top four cars were Toyota, the only exception being William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro, which qualified in third place. Defending his crown, Hamlin made up track positions at the end of Stage 1, finishing in second place behind teammate Martin Truex Jr. He went on to win Stage 2, ahead of Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, but Team Penske’s strategy for Ryan Blaney made all the difference in Stage 3.

Ryan Blaney pitted early in Stage 2, which put him ahead of Hamlin in Stage 3, forcing the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to catch up until the end of the race. While the runner-up finish may not be what Hamlin wanted, it’s a big improvement from his recent results. Hamlin’s best finish in the last five races before Pocono was 12th at Nashville, having finished 24th or lower four times in the last five races.

Questions were raised about the 43-year-old’s form and momentum after two 24th-place finishes in New Hampshire and Iowa, one 30th-place result at Chicago Street Course, and 38th place finish at Sonoma Raceway after suffering from a blown engine. It’s results like those that could cost Hamlin a chance of finishing at the top of the table before playoffs begin.

Could Hamlin become the regular season champion?

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With five races remaining before playoffs begin in Atlanta, the biggest question that fans have is, ‘Who will become the regular season champion?’. The likes of Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Denny Hamlin remain in the hunt to finish at the top of the table after the weekend at Darlington Raceway. With the coveted 15 playoff points up for grabs, drivers have everything to race for during the business end of the season.

As things stand, Chase Elliott leads the driver standings with 703 points, closely followed by Kyle Larson, who is three points behind. After a string of consistent performances recently, Tyler Reddick has climbed into third, 15 points behind Elliott, and Denny Hamlin is fourth, with 683 points to his name. With a 21-point deficit between himself and the leader, Hamlin can make that up in the remaining races of the season. However, that is easier said than done, as Denny Hamlin, who has yet to win a championship in his illustrious career, knows all too well.

Speaking in the press conference ahead of the race in Pocono, Denny Hamlin had said, “I think unless they have problems, it’ll be tough. But, everyone is struggling to find consistency, right? We were as consistent as anyone for five weeks and now have had five weeks the exact opposite. So, we’ll need help for sure and we’ll need to be as good as we were two months ago.”

If Hamlin wants to turn this around, consistency will be key for himself and his No. 11 crew. The 43-year-old certainly has the talent, experience, and composure to get results when it truly matters. With NASCAR heading to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to race at the Oval after a three-year hiatus, Denny Hamlin will hope to use his experience from the tire test on the track earlier this year to get a much-needed race win.

Do you think Denny Hamlin can win the regular season championship? Let us know in the comments!