Mother Nature was Chris Buescher’s friend Monday, as she paid an assist in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to help him claim his first career win in the rain and fog-shortened Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway. NASCAR finally made the call when lightning and severe weather warnings were issued, cutting the race short 22 laps shy of the scheduled distance. NASCAR ran behind the pace auto for several laps before ultimately red-flagging it with 22 laps to go.
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“I’m a little scared to get out”, Buescher said.
No need. He was declared the victor after about an 80-minute delay. Logano and the other top five drivers in the running order – Harvick, Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle – remained out to lead during the shower, but most of the other leaders came to pit road for fuel.
Buescher is on the brink of becoming the first Chase for the Sprint Cup championship bracket buster. His FRM team will spend 2016 as basically the fourth Jack Roush driver because of a shared technical alliance between the organizations. It was the second time the sublime accident happened to his team this season.
If Buescher climbs to thirtieth or better in the points, only four slots would remain for non-winners in the Chase for the championship. With veteran crew chief Bob Osborne calling the shots, Buescher and his crew rooted for the rain and fog to stick around.
“I have to thank the rain”, Buescher said, “as well as each and every cloud in the Pennsylvania sky, particularly Cloud 9, which is the one I’m on”. We’re not even in the real Victory Lane. “Rain is coming”, Osborne said.
Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon, along with a few other drivers, stayed out during a lap 66 caution, putting Larson and Dillon up front.
Dillon and Larson almost crashed the party. With rain looming toward the halfway point, Larson and Dillon engaged in a thrilling five-lap battle for first.
On the resulting restart, which came on Lap 110, Larson led and Busch was next to him. He sustained further damage shortly past the race’s official midpoint. Logano and Larson were the lone two drivers to lead over 30 laps, with Logano leading a race-high 38 laps to Larson’s 37. It rolled in with 30 or so laps to go and made itself at home, settling in over Turn 2 and both back straightaways as rainstorms moved closer and closer to the track.
“He’s a good kid and an Xfinity champion”, Stewart said in an in-car interview with NBC Sports Network during a red-flag stoppage.
And now the NASCAR community eagerly awaits the repercussions and aftermath of what could be the most unlikely Chase berth in the history of the professional stock auto playoff format.
Buescher took the top spot by staying out on the track, outlasting faster cars that had pitted behind him. He was the culprit of another caution with a flat right-front tire on lap 99.
Only the track known as the Tricky Triangle could produce a finish worthy of the Bermuda Triangle. He is the first rookie to win a Cup race since Joey Logano did it in 2009. It was reported a lug nut took the inner valve stem right off the wheel – the second time it’s occurred this season.
“Stranger Things” is the name of a relatively new offbeat hit TV series on Netflix, but honestly, it could just as well be the subtitle for the 2016 NASCAR season too.
Steve O’Donnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer for NASCAR, said two cars from each manufacturer – Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota – were taken for study in the wind tunnel and to gauge engine performance. “I don’t know, frustrating, but it’s racing I guess”.
Jeff Gordon had trouble on the track as well when the six time Pocono victor had his seatbelt strap unbuckled all of sudden.
“I’m here on a Monday”. So was Earnhardt, who missed his third straight race because he suffers from symptoms of a concussion.
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Stay tuned. Watkins Glen, where AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose previously scored upsets, is known to produce unexpected moments of its own.
