Denny Hamlin points to the reason behind Ryan Blaney winning at Pocono

Kicking off from fourth position, Denny Hamlin got a second-place finish at Pocono Raceway while Ryan Blaney, who won The Great American Getaway 400, started in eighth. Hamlin said he ran out of time to make a final push, underscoring the critical importance of track position.

Despite a strong effort to secure a record eighth NASCAR Cup victory at Pocono, Hamlin passed Alex Bowman with just seven of the 160 laps left but couldn't reel in race leader Blaney. A costly delay during his next-to-last pit stop, where he lost nine spots, hampered his chances for the remainder of the race.

Denny Hamlin narrowed the gap in the final laps, yet he couldn't get close enough to pose a real threat for the lead, eventually seeing Ryan Blaney cross the finish line 1.312 seconds before him. In his post-race interview, Hamlin reflected on the outcome, saying:

"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 12 jumped on that stage that we won, that put them in front of us. Certainly was going to be hard to pass. Not just enough laps of green there towards the end."

Hamlin was at the forefront for most of the race, leading a total of 31 laps, yet he ended up about two seconds behind Blaney after the Team Penske driver surged ahead with 44 laps remaining.

In the five races prior to Pocono, Denny Hamlin's results were underwhelming, placing P24 or worse in four of those outings and his best finish being P12 at Nashville. With the playoffs just five races away, he is now fourth in the points standings, only 20 points behind the new leader, Chase Elliott.

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Denny Hamlin acknowledges Ryan Blaney's strong performance

After winning stage two, while competitors like Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. pitted before the stage ended, Denny Hamlin lost crucial positions in the final stage, making it tough to pass Blaney. The #11 JGR driver complimented Blaney's restarts during the last 38 laps, which put him at a disadvantage.

“He [Ryan Blaney] kept great pace up there towards the front. It was really hard for me to even try to get close to reeling him in. [...] Shame we couldn’t get to Victory Lane. Another day,” Hamlin said [via NASCAR at 1:25].

Looking ahead, Denny Hamlin is set to compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. With 15 starts at Indianapolis, Hamlin has an average finish of 13.4 but has yet to secure a win. His last appearance in 2020 ended with a 28th-place finish, though his performances before that included four top-5s and one top-10.