Remember earlier this year, when Tyler Reddick was winning all the races and Denny Hamlin was seemingly the second-best driver on his own team?
Yeah, me neither.
Goodness gracious. That would be three (!!!) NASCAR wins in a row for Hamlin after yesterday's fuel-saving clinic at Pocono. And this is a guy who is supposed to be retiring after next season!
Yeah, OK. Sure thing, Denny. We'll see about that.
For those keeping track back at home (none of you, because it's June and the standings don't matter), Hamlin has now cut Reddick's points lead to a measly 19. I believe, at one point, that sucker was nearly 400. What a run by Denny, who passed Kyle Busch on the all-time Cup Series wins list yesterday at Pocono. Sad.
We'll talk more about Kyle later on. You will never guess what fast food item was served at his funeral a few weeks ago. It's perfect.
What else do y'all wanna talk about today? Did anyone see how Sunday's race started? With arguably the most American command you'll ever see. The America 250-hating libs are SEETHING today. God, I love this country.
I've also got a controversial paint scheme down in the ARCA Series, Brad Keselowski versus Bubba Wallace and Jimmie Johnson having a GOOD time overseas.
Whew. Wait till you hear 'ol seven-time speak at Le Mans. I didn't know Jimmie had this in him. You'll see.
OK, let's get this show on the road.
Four tires, a splash of Sunoco racing fuel, and maybe an aspirin for Jimmie ... Monday Morning Pit-Stop — the 'Ben Franklin Gives The Command' edition — is LIVE!
Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., on June 14, 2026. (David Jensen/Getty Images)
What a way to start a race!
Before we get this water-cooler talk officially going, I want to quickly address some reader mail. We're at the nearly two-month mark of OutKick and Fox merging, and it's been ... bumpy ... at times. Most of these things are.
"Just one of them racin' deals," as they say.
From Sherri:
Dude,
Help us middle agers and seniors out a little bit. Your story today was effectively a stream of consciousness rant with a bunch of screenshots. You're posting on Fox, not X, Instagram, Reddit etc. Please upgrade your writing style for your Fox readership. Some of us choose to stay away from X, Instagram and the like, so posting a bunch of screenshots with links to additional story info on social media apps is useless.
Thanks, Sherri!
While we've always been under one roof, the two sites are ... different. That's just the honest truth.
OutKick is a little more loosey-goosey. A little (lot) more opinionated. This column has been a culture shock to a lot of folks who haven't been here for the past four years.
Monday Morning Pit-Stop is not your typical NASCAR story. Frankly, that's how I like it. That's how I want it. If you want the typical NASCAR recap from yesterday, you can find it on the AP (yuck), or ESPN (double-yuck). That's not what I do.
Around here, I like to talk about the other stuff. Yes, we'll still talk about the race, but also the stuff that goes on behind the scenes.
The radio outbursts. The drama. The Instagram beef (and wives).
NASCAR fans pose for photos prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., on June 14, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
For example, I like to dive into things like Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross giving the command to start engines. While half the country spent the weekend complaining about America 250 and throwing a tantrum over UFC at the White House lawn, NASCAR chose to lean into it.
And that's a WIN in my book:
Actors dressed as Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross give the command to start the engine before the NASCAR Cup Series Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., on June 14, 2026. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
NASCAR 'Juneteenth' car sparks backlash
Yes, he said "Gentleman, start your engines," and not "Drivers." That's a new one. Well, an old one, but a new one for this new generation. Do with that information what you wish.
As for the scene itself, it was simple — as simple as Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross telling 40 professional stock car drivers to fire engines for a 400-mile race can be — but spoke volumes.
NASCAR, to me, is leaning back into its core fanbase right now. They have been for about a year now. Ever since Trump came to last year's Daytona 500, really. For those of you (us) who lived through NASCAR's miserable woke era (2020-2023), it's been a welcome return.
All I saw last weekend were folks b------ing and moaning about America 250, and how divided we are, and how ashamed we should be right now.
Hogwash. Get outta here with that nonsense. This is America. We are the greatest country in the world, and we should be damn proud of it.
Rev those engines, Betsy Ross! Let's go racing.
NOW ...
It wasn't all ham and eggs this weekend for NASCAR. It never is. Down in the ARCA Series, Dystany Spurlock unveiled a new paint scheme that, um ... turned some heads:
Brad, Kyle & Jimmie, oh my!
Shockingly, the Juneteenth scheme did NOT go over well with the fans. Let's dive in and get a pulse-check from the comments section:
- Yeah promote racism every chance you get nascar! Bunch of virtue signaling clowns! This has no place in sports or entertainment!
- This is by far the most ridiculous think I’ve ever seen on track. File this with the BLM car.
- Well, I’m not watching the Arca series now. Best of luck with this crap.
- Once again @NASCAR fails to read the room!
- Can’t wait to see the July 4th one celebrating 250 years of this great nation! Surely they will do one!!
- Of course there's a black power fist on the side of the car.
Dystany Spurlock waits on the grid before the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ECOSAVE 200 at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Del., on May 15, 2026. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
I could go on and on. Seriously. There are nearly 400 comments under that one post from Bob. The minute I saw it come across my timeline, I knew y'all would be fired up, and you were.
I usually don't care about paint schemes in NASCAR, but this one certainly grabbed my attention. NOTHING will beat the BLM car Bubba drove back in 2020.
What an all-time moment that was. Hilarious, especially looking back on it now.
For what it's worth, Dystany finished last after wrecking early in the race ... on the same lap as Bobby Earnhardt.
That's right.
Bobby Earnhardt — Dale's grandson!
Amazing. Welcome to the show, Bobby!
OK, let's get to a couple quick-hitters on the way out. First up? Let's head back out to Pocono and check in with Brad Keselowski after he got caught up in a wreck and blamed Bubba Wallace with the oddest choice of words you'll ever hear.
"It looked to me that [Bubba Wallace] a-- — plowed [Joey Logano] from way behind, wrecked him at the last second right in front of me. I cleared the first wave of the wreck, but not the second wave."
I think Brad probably wants that back. Just a hunch. And I'm talking about both the phrasing AND the blame.
I love blaming Bubba as much as the next guy, but ... that wreck had nothing to do with Bubba. Fair is fair, and I have to be fair here.
Next? Let's get to our weekly Kyle Busch update. This one is light-hearted, by the way, so don't worry. Nothing sad or ominous to share this week.
Just some good, old-fashioned In-N-Out Burger:
"Somehow, he must have known how badly many of us wish we could have had one last Double-Double with him: Hundreds were flown in for his service. So I sat there, cried and had that one last Double-Double w him."
Apparently, Kyle Busch loved In-N-Out so much they had hundreds of burgers flown in for his private ceremony two weeks ago. It doesn't get much better than that, folks.
God, I love NASCAR. And I love this country. You ain't getting this sort of behavior over in Europe. No shot. Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross and In-N-Out.
America 250 indeed.
Finally, on the way out, here's a radio interview from Le Mans over the weekend where Jimmie Johnson not only attended, but, apparently, partook.
That sounds like a man who had himself a NIGHT. Jimmie is 50, by the way, and he ain't slowing down.
"I told y'all Jimmie was fun," Dale Jr. said on Twitter.
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I guess so. Who knew? The more you learn.
OK, that's it for today. Good work, everyone. On the way out, here's Denny Hamlin winning and then getting a banana thrown at him during his post-race interview.
America.
Zach Dean is a writer for OutKick.
