Chase Elliott wins Pocono 2022 after Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch are disqualified
Chase Elliott has been crowned the winner of Sunday’s M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 in a startling turn of events. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have been disqualified as a result of failing post-race inspections, which led to their elimination from the competition.
This is Elliott’s fourth victory of the season and his third victory in the last five races he’s competed in. Since the beginning of the season, he has not placed worse than second in any of the five races he has competed in.
As a result of the disqualifications, Tyler Reddick was promoted to the position of second place, and Daniel Suarez was given the position of third.
According to the managing director of NASCAR, Brad Moran, who provided an explanation for the disqualification of Hamlin and Busch, it was determined that both cars had committed the identical equipment violation.
The Pocono racetrack was a difficult one for the drivers to navigate. As a result of numerous cars having difficulty controlling the smooth track and the tight corners, the caution flag was displayed early and frequently.
Each of Austin Cindric, Aric Almirola, and Hamlin had to overcome challenges in their younger years.
The first stage of the race was won under caution by Kyle Larson, while Kurt Busch continued his dominance at Pocono by winning the second stage.
At the beginning of the last stage, Busch was attempting to fend off a determined challenge from Ross Chastain for the position of leader of the pack. The blowout of Ryan Blaney’s back left tire this week put an end to any aspirations he had of securing a berth in the playoffs for this week.
But Busch was forced to give up the lead when he made the decision to pit with 37 laps left in the race. Chastain chose to stay out and was able to pass him by coming into the pits one lap later.
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After that, Hamlin moved ahead of Busch to take second place; however, during his pit stop, it was heard on his radio that he did not receive sufficient amounts of fuel. However, he was able to make up some ground when a yellow flag was displayed with 23 laps remaining because Blaney had lost control of his vehicle on Turn 3 and had taken a significant collision with the wall.
At the 18th and last lap of the race, the green flag was displayed, and shortly afterward, Hamlin and Chastain began racing head-to-head for the lead. Hamlin claimed the inside position and refused to give Chastain any room, which resulted in the No. 1 car driving into the wall on the first turn and bringing out another caution. Hamlin was awarded the position.
Following the restart, Hamlin assumed the position of leader, with Busch close behind him. The struggle for third place between Elliott and Tyler Reddick was intense. Because of the cautions, Hamlin was able to put his worries about running out of gasoline to the side and concentrate on crossing the finish line first.
Hamlin was able to get ahead of Busch and maintain his lead to secure the unofficial victory. However, after everything was said and done, Elliott was the one who emerged victorious.
After the race was over, Hamlin was officially placed 35th, and Busch came in one slot behind him at 36th.
Elliott’s performance throughout the 2022 season is among the greatest of his whole career. As the postseason draws near, it appears that the player who won the Cup Series in 2020 will be the odds-on favorite to win a second championship.
The drivers are now focusing their attention on the Verizon 200 that will take place the following Sunday at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There are still two berths available for the postseason.
