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Several storylines materialized from Pocono 500 weekend. First and foremost, rookie sensation Denny Hamlin has separated himself from the rest of the freshmen class.
Hamlin overcame a blown tire, and damage to his left rear, to win his first Nextel Cup race. Denny Hamlin was expected to be the top rookie in 2006, but few foresaw him emerging as a championship contender. It appears as if Hamlin is this year's version of Carl Edwards. Now it's time for Clint Bowyer to step it up, because he is the only other rookie who has been able to stay within sight of Hamlin in the rookie race. Jeff Gordon took a hard hit Sunday at Pocono after suffering a failed brake rotor. His Chevrolet would slide through the grass and up into to safer wall barriers, completely destroying the driver side of the car. After moments of worry, even from the anti-Gordon fans, he emerged from his totaled vehicle without injury. With his third DNF of the 2006, Jeff Gordon no longer holds a place in the top ten in the Nextel Cup standings. Will Gordon be on the outside looking in again when it comes time for the Nextel Cup Chase for the Championship, or can he resurface among the potential championship contenders? Silly season is getting busy as Casey Mears and Brian Vickers will be searching for new rides for 2007. Rumor has it that Mears will replace Vickers in the Hendrick Motorsports #25, and Vickers will likely head over to Toyota's Red Bull Racing, or Robert Yates Racing. Penske Racing South drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman appear to be showing signs of life. Busch finished second and was among the top five all day. Newman would spend the majority of the Pocono 500 in the top ten, but he was a victim of pit strategy late in the race and faded to an 11th place finish. Quote of the week from Jamie McMurray explaining why he hasn't performed as well as anticipated with Roush Racing "When I stepped into Sterling's car a few years ago, Sterling's team had won a race two months earlier, and that's a different situation than what I stepped into with the 26, because we're kind of rebuilding the team." email the author: autoracing@suite101.com
The copyright of the article NASCAR Racing At Pocono in Auto Racing is owned by Jeremy Dunn. Permission to republish NASCAR Racing At Pocono in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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