Dust At The Glen - Hamlin Wins, Completes Tri-Fecta Of Racing

Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane at Watkins Glen
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

A driver looks to add several high points to his resume. Daytona. The Brickyard. A win in their own hometown. But to complete a road course, a super-speedway and a short track all in the same season is worth of at least a footnote. Denny Hamlin did just that at Watkins Glen on Sunday. 

But Hamlin's win paled in comparison to the number - and length - of cautions and red flags. 8 cautions and 2 red flags, one almost 15 minutes long, for a series of crashes that started at lap 53 when Jimmie Johnson plowed into a already wrecked Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Greg Biffle and Austin Dillon are also involved. The next caution at lap 57 was for Carl Edwards, David Ragan, Clint Bowyer and Alex Kennedy. Kennedy had to be pushed off track by a safety truck.

On Lap 80 several cars spin, including Kevin Harvick, Chris Buescher, David Ragan and Paul Menard, who drove through a sand pile and kicked up a cloud of dust that incapacitated the 4 team, who was having a good day. At least he was not one of the many drivers that suffered pit road penalties;

PENALTY BOX:

Lap 14: Gordon - speeding, too many men over the wall; Khane, Almirola - too many men over the wall; Regan Smith - speeding

Lap 22: Johnson - too many men over the wall, uncontrolled tire

Lap 23: Blaney, speeding - pass through penalty

Lap 26: Teams warned to watch their speeds on pit road

Lap 27:  A.J. Allmendinger, speeding; Carl Ewards, uncontrolled tire

Lap 34: Logano, speeding

Lap 47: Josh wise, pass through penalty - running through the interloop

Lap 48: Matt DiBenedetto, uncontrolled tire - pass through penalty. 

 Lap 49: Paul Menard, Chris Buescher - throwing equipment (fuel cans)

Lap 54 - Kasey Khane, speeding

Lap 66: Austin Dillon, speeding

Lap 78: A.J. Allmendinger forced to drop behind Kyle Larson for not maintaining speed with caution car. The two would exchange words after the race, with Larson saying that AJ "has got a few coming"

 After the checkered flag flew, there was contact between the 78 of Truex and the 2 of Keselowski. Truex was not happy and showed his displeasure and an apology by Keselowski was given, but Truex felt it was a little too late after the fact. He thought he could give Hamlin a run for his money to the finish line.