Memorable moments at Pocono

As the NASCAR Cup Series returns to Pocono Raceway, take a look back at some of the most memorable moments at the "Tricky Triangle."

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Aug. 4, 1974: Richard Petty won Pocono's first premier series race, beating out Buddy Baker by 18.8 seconds. 'The King' led 152 of the 192 laps to victory in the rain-shortened event. Only four of 35 drivers were on the lead lap when the race was cut short. Petty won 10 races in 1974 and went on to earn the fifth of his seven Cup titles.

June 12, 1983: In a span of 371 days, Bobby Allison won three consecutive Cup Series races at Pocono. For the first time in 1982, NASCAR visited Pocono twice in the same season and Allison swept the races. He made it three in a row by winning again in 1983, when he led 143 of the 200 laps and beat out Darrell Waltrip by 9.56 seconds. Allison never won another race at the "Tricky Triangle."

June 14, 1987: After missing the first 11 races of the 1987 season due to illness, Tim Richmond made his first start at Pocono, leading 82 of 200 laps on his way to Victory Lane. Richmond also won the following week at a road course in California, but made just six other starts in the Cup series. Of Richmond's 13 career wins, four were at Pocono.

July 19, 1992: In one of the worst wrecks in Pocono history, Davey Allison got bumped from behind by Darrell Waltrip and the car flipped nine times through the infield before landing upside down. Allison had won the pole for the event and led 115 of the first 149 laps before the incident. He suffered a broken arm, wrist and collarbone along with a concussion. Allison raced the following week at Talladega wearing a cast.

June 19, 2000: Jeremy Mayfield used a final lap bump-and-run tactic on Dale Earnhardt in Turn 2 and nudged past "The Intimidator" for the victory. In a tip of the cap to the late Earnhardt, Mayfield said afterward: "I didn't mean to hit him; I just meant to rattle his cage. Isn't that how it goes?" Mayfield was quoting Earnhardt, who did the same thing to Terry Labonte at Bristol in 1999.

July 28, 2002: Steve Park's wreck on the first lap caused a 65-minute delay and showed why Dale Earnhardt Jr. has so many fans. Park, who was a teammate of Earnhardt Jr.'s at the time, made contact with Rusty Wallace and slid across the grass before tumbling into the guardrail. Earnhardt Jr., also involved in the wreck, quickly got out of his car and sprinted to help. Park and Earnhardt Jr. walked off arm-and-arm.

July 23, 2006: At 25 years old, Denny Hamlin became the first rookie to win both NASCAR Cup Series races at Pocono in the same season. Hamlin led 151 of the 200 laps. Six weeks earlier, Hamlin won the Pocono 500, and later credited a racing simulator with helping him learn the track's quirky layout. These were the first two wins of his career, and the only wins of the season for Hamlin, who finished third in the 2006 points standings and was voted Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

June 7, 2009: Tony Stewart led from start to finish en route to winning the Pocono 500 at the 2.5-mile triangle. It was the first time a driver/owner won in the series since Ricky Rudd did at Martinsville Speedway in 1998.

Aug. 7, 2011: Four days after being airlifted to a hospital after a wreck during testing at Road Atlanta, Brad Keselowski won with a broken left ankle. Keselowski said he drew inspiration from the 30 U.S. troops who were shot down in a military operation over Afghanistan that week. Keselowski dedicated the win to the troops.

Aug. 3, 2014: Earning his third victory of the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. swept the 2014 Cup Series races at Pocono by beating out Kevin Harvick to win the GoBowling.com 400. Just a few weeks earlier, Junior had earned his first win in 29 starts at the "Tricky Triangle" by besting Brad Keselowski by 0.439 seconds.

Aug. 1, 2016: Chris Buescher leads the field as it parks on pit road for a weather-related red flag during the Pennsylvania 400. The race was delayed due to inclement weather, then ended early because of fog, and Buescher claimed his first Cup Series win.

June 11, 2017: Ryan Blaney celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Cup Series Axalta presents the Pocono 400. It was the first victory for Wood Brothers Racing since 2011 and brought the team within one win from 100. It was also Blaney's first premier series victory.

June 2, 2019: Kyle Busch won the first race at Pocono Raceway in 2019, leading 79 laps. Busch won Pocono-2 in 2018 as well as Pocono-1 in 2017.

June 28, 2020: Denny Hamlin wins the second of two Pocono Cup Series races in the same weekend. Hamlin finished second to Harvick the day before, while Harvick finished second to Hamlin on this day.

June 26, 2021: Kyle Larson was on his way to Victory Lane at Pocono when a flat tire in Turn 3 on the final lap sent him into the wall, opening the door for his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman to steal the checkered flag. 

July 23, 2023: Tempers flared between numerous drivers at Pocono, including Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson as Hamlin secured a milestone 50th career Cup Series win after contact late in the race with Larson. Hamlin's victory also moved him ahead of Jeff Gordon for most wins ever at the "Tricky Triangle."