Thanks to Hendrick engines and Chevrolet and everybody that works on these bodies, the chassis, you name it.
Advertisement
Starting ninth, Busch ran in the top 10 for much of the race, gradually working his way toward the front. “We had a fast auto, a (suspended) crew chief, and the way the fuel mileage played out, I didn’t know if we would have enough fuel. But we ended up getting tight and not really having anything anyways right at the end of the race, and he (Busch) saved enough”. He also was among the Sprint Cup drivers who got extra track time on Saturday by competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Patrick’s crew made repairs on pit road and she finished 32nd.
So when Busch slowed at the front, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott all slowed behind him on a Pocono International Raceway track known for running drivers out of fuel on the 2.5-mile last lap and never making it back to the start-finish.
Busch led 32 laps in winning his 28th career Cup race.
Earnhardt thought he could have been more effective in keeping Busch behind him after the final restart. I think we are a good enough team to make it whether we get a win or not. I could have been a little more aggressive in doing some things differently.
Earnhardt is winless for the season through 13 races, and his recent swoon has him hoping he can dig out of his slump at Pocono Raceway. “They worked on it and improved it”. Controlling every restart where he started on the front row, Elliott looked like the eventual victor at one point, but a shortage of fuel cost him late as he settled for 4th place. Rain washed out the NASCAR Sprint Cup race and it will now run at noon Monday.
“For us to be able to contend and lead laps all day and have a auto that could fight for the lead the majority of the day, I thought was great”, Elliott said. “What a fast NAPA Chevy and had a auto that could compete for the lead all day”.
Dr. Abe Lieberman said he didn’t think boxing contributed to Ali contracting Parkinson’s disease but he couldn’t be “a hundred percent” certain. “The way the fuel mileage played out, I didn’t know if we’d have enough”. “That is not how the day unfolded, so we will take it and move on”. Instead, he was held up by teammate Chase Elliott, who led 51 laps and also wanted to regain the advantage of clean air. Pagenaud won the pole while Power started eighth, but Power prevailed in the end for his 26th career victory and first since the Grand Prix of Indianapolis in May 2015. But that didn’t stop Busch from gunning into the lead from the second row on the final re-start with 33 laps to go. The Stewart Haas Racing stud had to come into the pits under green flag racing for a plash of fuel and that sent him towards the middle of the field for the last 20 laps of the event.
Joey Logano finished fifth, followed by Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth.
Pocono isn’t an easy track for rookies, but Elliott had no issues on the triangle, as he led the most laps on the day.
Advertisement
Larson led when the rain hit 53 laps into the scheduled 100-lap race and the race was called 1 hour, 35 minutes after the red flag came out.
