Ryan Blaney has won for the second time at Pocono Raceway after leading the final 44 laps of Sunday's Cup Series race.
Denny Hamlin, the all-time leader in Pocono wins, crossed the finish line second. Alex Bowman, William Byron, and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.
MORE: Blaney wins, full Pocono results
A caution for Ty Gibbs's engine expiring set up a restart with 23 laps to go. Blaney was on the outside and Bowman was on the inside. Both drivers had a secure spot in the playoffs, but they wanted an extra win for cushion and playoff points.
Blaney jumped out front after taking the green flag and he took advantage of clean air while Bowman tried to chase him down. The Hendrick Motorsports driver came close to challenging for the lead early in the run, but he lost time after struggling in a turn.
BLANEY WINS AGAIN AT POCONO!
The defending champion is back in victory lane where it all started for his Cup Series career in 2017 for his 2nd win of 2024.
It's @Team_Penske's first win at @PoconoRaceway since 2011.#NASCAR pic.twitter.com/uS050Pqoih
— NASCAR on TSN (@NASCARonTSN) July 14, 2024
Hamlin passed Bowman with seven laps remaining in the race, but he could not cut into Blaney's advantage either. He had to settle for second while the reigning champion won his second career race at Pocono.
Blaney now has 12 career wins, two of which were in the last five weeks of the 2024 season. He now has 12 playoff points to his name as he tries to win his second consecutive title. This is the fifth-most among Cup drivers.
Stage 1: Martin Truex Jr. won stage 1 after taking the lead from Ty Gibbs. Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, and Erik Jones were all top 10.
Stage 2: Hamlin won stage 2 after passing Josh Berry. Elliott, Keselowski, Byron, Jones, Kyle Larson, Bowman, Bell, Logano, and Reddick were all top 10.
Notable: Bubba Wallace entered Sunday's race 53 points behind Ross Chastain and 45 points behind Chris Buescher, who held the final playoff spot. Chastain crashed and finished 36th, so he fell to the final playoff spot. Wallace is now only 27 points below the cutline after finishing 10th.
Next: Cup Series teams head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to compete on the oval for the first time since 2020. NBC will provide coverage for the July 21 race (2:30 p.m. ET).