LONG POND, PENN – July 24, 2022 – Anthony Holbrook

The NASCAR Cup Series hiked to the Mountains of Pennsylvania July 24, 2022 for the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 hosted by Pocono Raceway. The 49^th NASCAR Cup race and the first time latest Next Gen cars challenge the 2.5-mile-long track.

M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 – Recap:

In NASCAR racing owning the fastest car doesn’t necessary hand you a trophy, while sometimes it’s better to be “Lucky than Good” as highlighted Sunday at Pocono.

Georgia native’s Chase Elliott was declared the official winner of the the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at the Pocono Raceway after Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were disqualified following an illegal NASCAR rule book infractions of relation to the front (fascia) of the Joe Gibbs Racing’ #11 and #18 cars during the post-race inspection.

The unanticipated win marks Elliott’s 17th victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career adding three victories and two second place finishes in the last five races.  Chase Elliott collecting checkers his fourth race of the season, sets him the driver with the most wins this year.

Denny Hamlin and teammate Kyle Busch primary collected the checkered flag in first and second place position accordingly on Sunday. After the completion of the races the No. 18 and No. 11 cars were impounded with from Sunday’s race as Denny Hamlin penalized 35^th and Kyle Busch credited 36^th finishing position, respectfully.

After the disqualifications, Tyler Reddick moved into second place, followed by Daniel Suarez (3rd), Christopher Bell (4th), and Kyle Larson (5th) completing the top five.

The M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 produced 15 lead changes among ten different drivers. The venue hosted its 49th Cup race and the new Next Gen cars for the first time on the 2.5-mile-long track and observed nine caution flags.

Chase Elliott inherited  53 points separation and ranks atop the standings with 787 points, four wins, and eight top-five’s With Pocono’s win while retaining a 105-point lead over Ross Chastain and a 111-point lead over Ryan Blaney in the NASCAR Cup Series point’s standings.

M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 – Results:

Pocono Raceway

Lap length: 2.5 mile

1. #9 – Chase Elliott
2. #8 – Tyler Reddick
3. #99 – Daniel Suárez
4. #20 – Christopher Bell
5. #5 – Kyle Larson
6. #34 – Michael McDowell
7. #19 – Martin Truex Jr.
8. #23 – Bubba Wallace
9. #43 – Erik Jones
10. #3 – Austin Dillon
11. #48 – Alex Bowman
12. #24 – William Byron
13. #10 – Aric Almirola
14. #6 – Brad Keselowski
15. #14 – Chase Briscoe
16. #45 – Ty Gibbs (i)
17. #41 – Cole Custer
18. #47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
19. #7 – Corey LaJoie
20. #22 – Joey Logano
21. #31 – Justin Haley
22. #42 – Ty Dillon
23. #21 – Harrison Burton (R)
24. #16 – Noah Gragson (i)
25. #38 – Todd Gilliland (R)
26. #51 – Cody Ware
27. #4 – Kevin Harvick
28. #15 – J. J. Yeley (i)
29. #17 – Chris Buescher
30. #78 – B. J. McLeod (i)
31. #2 – Austin Cindric (R)
32. #1 – Ross Chastain
33. #12 – Ryan Blaney
34. #77 – Josh Bilicki (i)
35. #11 – Denny Hamlin
36. #18 – Kyle Busch

The NASCAR Cup Series travels to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard scheduled:

Sunday July 31st

2:30 p.m. ET

(NBC, PRN, SirisXM-NASCAR 90)