Hamlin's Three-Peat, Coronado Debut, and the Anduril 250 Preview — Week 25
Denny Hamlin won his third straight Cup race with a record eighth Pocono victory, Ibiza Farm McLaren took IMSA Mid-Ohio GS honors, and Kevin Magnussen lines up for his NASCAR debut at the brand-new Qualcomm Circuit on Naval Base Coronado.
Welcome to the inaugural edition of US Auto Racing Events — your weekly recap and preview across NASCAR, IMSA, drag, rally, GT, and America's local tracks. Each Monday we break down what happened last weekend and what's on deck for the days ahead.
Last week in results (June 8–14)
NASCAR — Hamlin completes the three-peat at Pocono
Denny Hamlin turned Sunday's Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway into a masterclass in fuel management and late-race composure. Starting from pole in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Hamlin won Stage 1, weathered a mid-race multi-car crash that collected Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Bubba Wallace, then passed Christopher Bell with five laps remaining to secure his eighth career win at Pocono — a track record. 1
The margin over Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing, No. 45 Toyota) was 1.678 seconds after Reddick rallied from fifth in the closing laps. William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet) came third; John Hunter Nemechek — who led a career-best 42 laps in the No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota — grabbed a surprise fourth. Kyle Larson and Erik Jones rounded out the top six.
Three straight wins (Nashville, Michigan, Pocono) is a first for Hamlin in his 21-year full-time career and moves him to 64 wins all-time, ninth on the sport's all-time list and one ahead of the late Kyle Busch. 2
The win has championship implications too. Reddick now leads Hamlin by only 19 points — the slimmest gap at the top all season — with 10 regular-season races remaining to set the 16-driver playoff field. Shane Van Gisbergen holds the final transfer spot in 14th, just 10 points clear of 17th-place Brad Keselowski.
The O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (second-tier Cup) ran a support event at Pocono the same weekend; Front Row Motorsports' Todd Gilliland claimed his first career Cup stage win — Stage 2 — before the crash reshuffled the field. 1
Hamlin with his record eighth Pocono trophy — his third consecutive Cup win. 1
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | #11 Toyota |
| 2 | Tyler Reddick | 23XI Racing | #45 Toyota |
| 3 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | #24 Chevrolet |
| 4 | John Hunter Nemechek | Legacy Motor Club | #42 Toyota |
| 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | #5 Chevrolet |
| 6 | Erik Jones | Legacy Motor Club | #43 Toyota |
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge — Mid-Ohio
The O'Reilly Auto Parts 4 Hours of Mid-Ohio on June 7 delivered a pit-strategy thriller in the Grand Sport (GS) class and a last-lap lunge in TCR. 3
GS: Michael Cooper and Moisey Uretsky drove the No. 44 Ibiza Farm Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 to their second win of the year (Sebring being the first).
Cooper and Uretsky on the GS podium at Mid-Ohio. 3
The decisive moment came under a full-course yellow with 97 minutes left: a pit stop more than 12 seconds quicker than the chasing BMW M4 GT4 EVOs catapulted Cooper from sixth to first. He led by 15-plus seconds on the restart and never looked back, winning by 2.295 seconds over the championship-leading No. 95 Turner Motorsport BMW of Dillon Machavern and Luca Mars.
TCR: Karl Wittmer delivered one of the drives of the season for the No. 93 MMG Honda Civic FL5 TCR. Despite starting 11th and serving a drive-through penalty, Wittmer hunted down Denis Dupont's No. 76 Bryan Herta Autosport Hyundai Elantra N through the race's final hour. On the very last lap, into Turn 4 at the end of Mid-Ohio's longest straight, he made the pass to win by 0.801 seconds — Honda's first Mid-Ohio IMSA win since 2013.
Next for IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge: the LP Building Solutions 120 at Watkins Glen International, June 27.
This week's schedule (June 15–21)
NASCAR at Naval Base Coronado — inaugural Anduril 250
The Cup Series heads to Southern California for the biggest venue experiment of the 2026 season: the Anduril 250, run on the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado. Race day is Sunday, June 22 (the event is promoted as part of a triple-header weekend beginning mid-week). Broadcast: 4 p.m. ET on Prime Video, with MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio coverage. 4
The street-style circuit sits on an active US Air Force base — a first for the sport. Hamlin will enter on a historic hot streak; Reddick and the 23XI team will be hunting the points back.
This event also marks Kevin Magnussen's NASCAR Cup Series debut. The former Haas F1 driver, released from the F1 grid after the 2024 season, will pilot Trackhouse Racing's Project 91 entry — the same car Kimi Räikkönen drove in 2022. 5 Magnussen called it "a unique opportunity" and noted the challenge of adapting to a stock car after Formula 1 and WEC experience.
Paddock news
Josh Berry leaving Wood Brothers Racing
Josh Berry confirmed on June 10 that 2026 will be his final season driving the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Wood Brothers Racing. Berry said he learned of the decision on June 9 and was not caught off guard — he had no contract beyond this season. The team has not yet named his replacement for 2027. 6
Berry won at Las Vegas in his first full season (2025) and helped the historic team — founded in 1950 by Glen and Leonard Wood — reach the playoffs unexpectedly. In 2026 he ranks 30th in points with just two top-10s through 15 races. Wood Brothers cited a different direction; no further details were given.
"We'll work hard to try to land on our feet and find something," Berry said. "Still feel like I'm the same guy that won Las Vegas."
The team promised an announcement on the 2027 driver soon.
Points standings snapshot
With 10 races left to set the 16-driver playoff field, the bubble positions are tight:
| Pos | Driver | Points gap to 17th |
|---|---|---|
| 14th | Shane Van Gisbergen | +10 |
| 15th | Erik Jones | +4 |
| 16th | Austin Cindric | +4 |
| 17th (out) | Brad Keselowski | — |
| 18th | Joey Logano | –21 |
Quick scan: local and regional
- NARC 410 Sprint Cars ran the "Fastest Five Days in Motorsports" feature at Cottage Grove Speedway on June 13. 7
- Port Royal Speedway (Pennsylvania) hosted 410 Sprint Car action June 13; highlights available on FloRacing. 8
- NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour ran a full race at Oxford Plains Speedway on June 6; replay on FloRacing. 9
Next edition: Monday June 22 — Anduril 250 recap, IMSA Watkins Glen preview, and any driver market moves.
References
- 1
- 2NASCAR Pocono results recap – Motorsport.com
motorsport.com
- 3
- 4
- 5Former F1 driver Magnussen joins NASCAR – Yahoo Sports / GPblog
sports.yahoo.com
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
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