NASCAR at Pocono 2019 Results: Denny Hamlin Holds Off Erik Jones in OT for Win

Denny Hamlin held off Erik Jones in overtime as the 2019 Daytona 500 winner took down the Gander RV 400 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.

The victory marked Hamlin's third win of the 2019 Monster Energy Cup Series season and the 34th of his career.

Hamlin overtook Jones and Martin Truex Jr. in the final stage and never relinquished the lead during the race's closing stretch, which included two caution flags and overtime. Jones and Truex took second and third, respectively.

Kyle Busch, who is second in the Monster Energy Cup Series standings and won the Pocono 400 earlier this season, won the first stage but finished ninth in the 160-lap race on the 2.5-mile track. Jimmie Johnson won the second stage and finished 15th overall.

Here's a look at the Gander RV 400 standings, the most notable highlights and some reaction.

Gander RV 400 (Top 10)

1. Denny Hamlin

2. Erik Jones

3. Martin Truex Jr.

4. William Byron

5. Kyle Larson

6. Kevin Harvick

7. Daniel Hemric

8. Brad Keselowski

9. Kyle Busch

10. Ryan Blaney

Full results can be found on NASCAR.com.

Highlights and Reaction

As Jeff Gluck of The Athletic wrote, the decision to stretch the No. 11 car's fuel proved to be a winning one. That was a crucial choice for Hamlin, who is now fourth in the Monster Energy Series standings.

Hamlin spoke about the topic post-race to NBC Sports (h/t Performance Racing Network).

"I was real worried (about fuel)," Hamlin said. "We just did a great job with the car, once we lost track position there to the 19 and 20...Thanks to Pocono for putting in the PJ1 there in Turn 3."

The win was sweet for Hamlin, who finished second at New Hampshire Motor Speedway last Sunday despite leading 113 laps.

The Gander RV 400 featured two cautions in the final 10 laps, with Josh Bilicki's car stopping on the track with eight laps left and Kurt Busch hitting the wall and blowing a tire with four remaining.

Hamlin didn't relinquish his pre-caution leads, though, holding on in overtime.

Busch was the race leader after Stage 1 despite an early pit stop from third place, but that didn't stop him from winning his eighth stage of the year. Gluck reported that mark tops the Monster Energy Cup Series this season.

Johnson took the second stage, though, which Gluck wrote was his first win of the season and second stage victory during his career. It was a nice bounce-back after a close call on pit road earlier in the race:

Elsewhere, Chase Elliott's horrible stretch of luck continued following a Stage 2 crash:

Elliott, who won at Talladega and finished fourth or fifth in his following four races, has now endured a tough run as Kelly Crandall of RACER reported:

Elliott raced his backup car after a crash during a practice run. On June 30, he had a drill-hose issue that forced him to lose spots on pit road at Chicagoland Speedway. Elliott also encountered tire trouble at Kentucky Speedway.

The 23-year-old was naturally disappointed in a post-race interview Sunday but was focused on pressing onward:

Overall, Pocono proved to be entertaining once again, as Matt Weaver of Autoweek noted:

The Monster Energy Cup series goes to Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York, on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.