Questions Answered After 2022 Coca-Cola 600

Who … should you be talking about after the race?

Denny Hamlin spent much of the night keeping his nose fairly clean and surviving what will go down in the record books as the longest race in NASCAR history.

In what became the final round of pit stops, Hamlin went against many of the leaders and took four tires. Those tires allowed the Virginian to zoom through the depleted field of cars and to the lead after a four wide pass on the frontstretch, as the other three cars wrecked to bring out the final caution.

Hamlin was then able to hold off Kyle Busch in the final restart to win the race, getting the final jewel in his crown jewel belt. The almost certain future Hall of Fame inductee has won multiple times in the Southern 500 and the Daytona 500 but has never been able to capture the Coca-Cola 600 until Sunday night (May 29). Hamlin now joins an elite club of drivers to have won all three in their career (some also include the Brickyard 400 in the crown jewel races).

One of those drivers in that club is Kevin Harvick. It was an eventful night for the Bakersfield, California native, after being involved in two incidents that brought out cautions. In spite of that, the veteran was able to put his head down and end up third at the finish. In a race that can best be described as a war, the top three drivers all ended up being veterans with over 15 years of full-time experience at the Cup Series level. Youthful exuberance is a strong trait to have, but experience ended up being the key to succeeding in this race.

What … is the buzz about?

Neither car won, but it’s clear that Trackhouse Racing Team has arrived in the Cup Series.

Daniel Suarez did not finish the race, but Ross Chastain won stage three and looked like the clear-cut favorite for much of the second half of the race. Chastain led 153 laps, but something happened mid-way through the fourth and final stage and the watermelon farmer was unable to get back up front after being passed for the lead…