LONG POND, PA. -- Rookie Joe Gibbs driver Denny Hamlin overcame a flat tire and spin early in the race and roared back to win the Pocono 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Pocono Raceway Sunday.



Starting from the pole position, Hamlin battled Kurt Busch for the lead before taking over the front spot early on. He was leading after 50 laps when a cut tire sent him into a spin but he straightened his Chevrolet out and returned to the pits where his crew began making repairs on the first of several stops under caution.



Hamlin restarted at the rear of the field but raced his way back to the front with consistently fast laps and outstanding pit work by his FedEx team. It was the first win in a Cup points race for Hamlin, although he won the Bud Shootout at Daytona to kick off his rookie season in the Gibbs Car. Amazingly, this weekend was the first time young Hamlin drove a lap at this tricky, tri-ovalled track that veterans agree is one of the toughest on the NASCAR circuit. It was the also the first time a No. 11 car has won a Cup points race since Bill Elliott won at Darlington in car owner Junior Johnson's No. 11 Chevy 12 years ago.



Four-time champion Jeff Gordon lost the brakes on his DuPont Chevrolet 10 laps from the finish and took a wild ride through the grassy apron, slamming the outside retaining wall hard, scattering mud and debris all over the track. The race was red-flagged for cleanup and was restarted with five laps remaining.



Hamlin, as he had up to that point, took off like a rocket and finished well ahead of runnerup Kurt Busch.



Injured two-time champion Tony Stewart, driving with a fractured scapula, wound up third after running near the front all day. Stewart suffered the injury two weeks ago at Lowe's Motor Speedway and used veteran Ricky Rudd as a relief driver at Dover last weekend.

Trailing Stewart were Brian Vickers, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahn, Scott Riggs, Ryan Newman and Jimmy Johnson.



Biffle drove his way back through the field for his sixth-place finish after going to the rear of the field when his crew had to repair the brakes on his Roush Racing Ford.



Casey Mears found out on the first lap his day was not going to be a good one. Mears' machine was tapped from the rear by Scott Riggs before the 43-car starting field had completed the first lap and smashed into the outside retaining wall.



Teammate Reed Sorensen in another Chip Ganassi car scraped the wall several times before halfway, ending his chances for victory.

Veteran Kyle Petty also bashed the wall before halfway after a wheel came loose and passed his damaged car as it slowed from the collision.



Carl Edwards, who appeared to be a contender, lost two laps during a pit stop when his car fell off the jack during a tire change. He returned to the race but was never a threat after the bizzare incident on pit road.