Overshadowed for much of the season by fellow rookies Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, who race for the better funded teams of Hendrick Motorsports and the Wood Brothers, respectively, the undermanned Front Row team suddenly finds itself as the only victor in the four-man group, including Scott.
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Chris Buescher was the surprising victor of Monday’s rain-delayed and fog and rain-shortened Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono.
“It’s not going to for a while”, the Texas native said when asked if the fact he is now a Cup victor had sunk in yet. He was doused with beer and water in a makeshift victory lane celebration inside a garage stall. Small Front Row Motorsports had not won in 118 races, since David Ragan at Talladega Superspeedway in 2013. If both drivers maintain their average form the entirety of the 2016 season, Buescher doesn’t make the Chase. If Buescher can get into the top 30 in points he will qualify for NASCAR’s post season.
He’s six points back now in 31st place.
“What we worked through was really unprecedented in terms of the fog you had rolling in”, NASCAR vice president Steve O’Donnell said.
“We’re in the hunt. We’ve got the best fans in the sport”. “I just hope they all come back [Monday]”.
Supposed NASCAR fans need to get either get onboard or move out of the way because you’re slowing down the train and making the journey less enjoyable for the rest of us.
Buescher became the first Xfinity Series champ to win a Cup race since Brad Keselowski in 2010. Edwards and Kenseth are each threats to win on a almost weekly basis, and while the Hamlin team has slumped somewhat through the summer months, the Gibbs cars are consistently ahead of the pack on raw speed every week and are automatically the favorites no matter where the series is.
Third was another driver for a low-budget team that had not yet pitted during the final sequence, Regan Smith of Tommy Baldwin Racing. Will there be racing or will weather claim the track again?
Martin Truex Jr. started on the pole and led the first 16 laps before a competition caution.
Truex has one win this season and won the June 2015 Pocono race.
Chargers coach Mike McCoy says wide receiver Stevie Johnson needs surgery for his injured right knee. “Crazy bad luck and just a shame”.
“I’ve got to get a little bit smoother in situations where things don’t go our way”, Buescher said. Logano finished 37th and two laps down.
Harvick led until Kyle Larson took over on Lap 67. “They’ve taken off Friday already”.
Nevertheless, the race ran past the midway point and until 138 laps were complete, when a caution turned into the lengthy red-flag period. “We can definitely handle this now”, Buescher said after NASCAR called the race after a red flag of about 80 minutes. There were 39 cars running prior to the final round of pit stops; only two stayed out. Restarting second was Keselowski while Busch was third.
Chase Elliott and Joey Loganogo around!
Buescher’s maiden victory comes in his 27th start.
I was totally impressed how Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon battled each other for the lead lap after lap. But the three, as well as a good portion of the field, began pitting under green starting on lap 125.
On Lap 126, Larson headed into the pits from the lead.
If not for the lightning warning, would NASCAR have been able to continue the race?
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“He’s a good kid and an Xfinity champion”, said three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart during the NBCSN telecast. Mother Nature can be really nice sometimes or can be really mean.
