Take 5: Breaking down Cup Series’ Pocono doubleheader weekend

An unprecedented Saturday-Sunday doubleheader gave NASCAR Cup Series teams two chances to produce this weekend at Pocono Raceway. Now that 675 miles are on the odometer after the twin bill, here are five story lines to unpack from the unique Tricky Triangle two-fer.

TWO FOR THE SHOW: Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin divided the weekend's victory spoils, but the pair also split the runner-up laurels in their 1-2 finishes together. The flip-flopped outcomes at the top of the leaderboard aligned with their recent strength. Harvick and Hamlin have won six of the 11 Cup Series races since the sport resumed under COVID-19 protocols in May. Hamlin said he'd add Chase Elliott's name to the mix of early standouts, but the Pocono weekend gave off the feel of a two-horse race to the playoffs. "Certainly we've sustained some great finishes," Hamlin said. "Even not great finishes, but great speed through an entire race all year. I would say specifically the last 10 to 11 we've been exceptional, really since coming back from the break that we had."

SHR QUICK TO ADAPT: Stewart-Haas Racing rated as one of the standouts from the double-duty weekend. Saturday, race winner Kevin Harvick was the first of three SHR Fords among the top 10 and Sunday, the organization backed it up with another top-10 trio and an Xfinity win from Chase Briscoe to boot. But the group has also been dealing with the June 19 news that two of its shop employees had tested positive for COVID-19. SHR had already been operating with health protocols and safeguards in place, then took the extra step of sending potentially exposed workers home for quarantine. "It's really been hard on the shop guys. Keeping the shop guys and road guys separated, it's a lot harder than what it sounds," said Rodney Childers, crew chief for Harvick's No. 4. "It takes everybody to get these things ready to race. Last week before Talladega I didn't go to the shop a single day. This week I was only there for probably three hours one day. We've tried to do everything that we can do to keep people as safe as possible."

WEEKEND UPDATE: Maybe he's somewhat biased because of finishes of first and second, but Harvick was among those with a positive view for the weekend doubleheader, even though inclement weather pushed Sunday's race to a candlelight finish. With teams required to run the same car in both events, crews worked under a tight deadline to prep for each race. But the weekend also gave teams two opportunities to excel and provided a test balloon for what a condensed Cup Series schedule -- with the potential for double-duty weekends and midweek shows -- could entail. "I will say it's very hard on the race teams," said Chris Gabehart, crew chief for Hamlin's No. 11 entry. "We didn't leave the race track till after 11 (Saturday) night. You drive over a half hour to the hotel, got to be back here at 7. There's a lot of work that goes on in between preparing a car that just raced 325 miles to race again for 350 miles, put a professional product on the race track. ... This is very hard, but these teams are the best in the business. Whatever NASCAR wants to do we'll support and adapt."

0-FOR-15 FOR THE 18: While teammate Hamlin marched to his fourth win of the season, Kyle Busch wrapped the weekend with a respectable fifth-place run Saturday followed by a deflating 38th-place effort on the wrecker's hook after a mid-race tangle Sunday with Ryan Blaney. The results stretched Busch's winless streak to 15 races to start the season, a confounding slump for the defending Cup Series champ, who indicated that the lack of pre-race practice has hampered the team's progress. "I don't know. The guys did an amazing job from yesterday to today," Busch said Sunday, noting the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 team's ability to improve with track time. "I guess it proves that if you get a little practice time in and we are going to be a force to be reckoned with so hopefully life gets back to normal eventually. But we are in 2020, so it doesn’t surprise me getting crashed out of the lead."

FLIP SIDE FOR JONES: While one JGR driver sang the blues after Sunday's race, Erik Jones carried a different tune, recovering from a crash-related Saturday exit to post a season-best third place in the weekend capper. Jones said the speed in his No. 20 Toyota has been consistent, but the ability to finally assemble a complete race without snakebite has the team "moving in the right direction." Another aspect that's trending well for Jones: his contract negotiations for 2021. "We started talking to them about next year, what we're going to do moving forward," Jones said about the potential to stay in the Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota system. "I feel like right now that's kind of the plan, is working with them. We'll see what happens. But I feel good about it right now moving forward."