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POCONO PAIR: WINS 2006 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Hamlin has a lot of great memories at many great tracks nationwide— that’s what happens when you accumulate as many wins as he has during his illustrious career—but the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania certainly ranks on his list of favorites. The 2½-mile track was the site of his first NASCAR win at the Pocono 500 in June of 2006, when he outdueled Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne to the checkered flag. He won again six weeks later in the Pennsylvania 500 at that track for his second career win on the way to sealing Rookie of the Year honors. Ever since his double dip into Victory Lane, no rookie has managed to match that win total since. Besides those pair of Pocono wins, he put together a remarkable run of season-long excellence that featured eight Top 5 finishes and 20 Top 10s while being the only rookie to compete in that season’s chase for the championship.

Denny Hamlin won the Pocono 500 in 2006 for his first career NASCAR victory on his way to earning Rookie of the Year honors.

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