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  • Pit strategy nets Hamlin a win over Harvick at Pocono

    Pit strategy nets Hamlin a win over Harvick at Pocono

    It was a tale of two stories at the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series’ doubleheader at Pocono Raceway. A day after Kevin Harvick claimed his first Pocono triumph after holding off Denny Hamlin in the closing laps, it was Hamlin who played a strategic call in the late laps that got him ahead of Harvick and the redemption to victory after pulling away and winning the Pocono 350 at the Tricky Triangle, the second of a Cup doubleheader weekend in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The win was Hamlin’s fourth of the season, third since May amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the 41st of his Cup Series career.

    The starting lineup was based on the results from Saturday’s 325-mile race at Pocono, where the top-20 finishers were inverted and the bottom 20 were left as finished. After finishing 20th on Saturday, Ryan Preece was awarded the pole position while Austin Dillon, who finished 19th, joined Preece on the front row.

    Multiple competitors dropped to the rear of the field. Rookie Quin Houff, rookie Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, Joey Logano and Alex Bowman dropped to the rear after their respective teams opted to field a backup car for the second Pocono race. In addition, Chase Elliott and B.J. McLeod dropped to the rear of the field due to transmission changes along with William Byron and pole-sitter Preece, both due to engine changes.

    Following an early delay due to lightning strikes reported near the track, the race commenced with Austin Dillon and Kurt Busch on the front row. Busch jumped to an early lead followed by rookie Cole Custer. Ryan Blaney also moved into third while Dillon slipped back to fourth. Two laps later, Blaney moved into second as Chris Buescher overtook Austin Dillon for fourth. 

    Soon after, the first caution flew due to rain. Under the caution laps, rookie Tyler Reddick radioed power steering issues to his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. After running the next few laps on the track under caution despite the rain, the pace truck led the field down to pit road, where the race was red flagged and the jet dryers went to work to dry the track. 

    Approximately 51 minutes later, the red flag was lifted and the caution flag was displayed as the field proceeded back on the track. Soon after, light sprinkles hovered around the track, but the cars proceeded in running on the track under the caution laps. Under caution, Reddick’s crew continued to address power steering issues to Reddick’s car. By the time he returned on the track, he was five laps behind the leaders and in 40th, last of the field. 

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 11, Kurt Busch retained the lead and was able to stabilize his advantage by a car length over Blaney the following lap. DiBenedetto moved into third followed by Buescher and rookie Christopher Bell, who went three-wide a lap earlier to gain a load of positions. 

    On Lap 15, as the racing intensified behind the leaders and towards the middle of the pack, the caution returned when Michael McDowell spun after he cut a right-rear tire and made hard contact with the outside wall on the driver’s side in Turn 2. The cut tire was a result of an earlier contact with Elliott in Turn 4. The damage was too severe for McDowell to continue as he took his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford to the garage and retired a day after notching his best Cup result on a non-superspeedway track. Under caution, a number of competitors like Joey Logano, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Jimmie Johnson, Preece, Corey LaJoie, Daniel Suarez and rookie Quin Houff pitted while the rest remained on track.

    The race restarted on Lap 18, and Kurt Busch and Blaney battled dead even before Busch retained a small advantage in Turn 2. Behind the leaders, Buescher moved into third followed by rookies Custer and Bell. By Lap 20, Harvick, who started 20th and who was coming off his first Pocono triumph on Saturday, made his first appearance in the top five.

    With five laps remaining in the first stage, Kurt Busch was still ahead by two-tenths of a second over Blaney with third-place Buescher trailing by over a second. Bell was in fourth while Harvick was in fifth, two seconds behind the leaders. Two laps later, Blaney drew himself right to the rear bumper of Busch’s No. 1 Monster Energy/Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet in an attempt for the lead while Bell challenged Buescher for third. Behind, strategy started to play into factor of the race when several competitors like Johnson, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer and Hamlin made a green-flag pit stop. 

    At the front, Kurt Busch was able to hold off Blaney to win the first stage on Lap 30. Blaney finished second followed by Bell, Harvick and Brad Keselowski. DiBenedetto, Buescher, Truex, Kyle Busch and Custer rounded out the top 10. Johnson, who was lapped prior to the conclusion of the first stage, was the beneficiary of the free pass and return on the lead lap after being tabbed the first car a lap down when the caution flew. Under the stage break, Kurt Busch and Blaney remained on track along with others while a majority of the field behind the leaders, led by Bell and Harvick, pitted. DiBenedetto, Austin Dillon and Corey LaJoie pitted for two tires while Harvick was the first to exit on four fresh tires.

    The second stage commenced on Lap 36 and Blaney received a push from teammate Keselowski on the inside lane to challenge Kurt Busch on the outside lane for the lead. By Turn 3, Blaney took the lead and led the following lap while Kurt Busch battled Keselowski for second. Soon after, Truex and Erik Jones started challenging Kurt Busch for position as more jostling for positions ensued behind the leaders.

    On Lap 39, the caution returned when Bell spun entering Turn 2 and made heavy contact with the outside wall. The damage to the rear end of Bell’s No. 95 Rheem/Leavine Family Racing Toyota was too severe for the Oklahoma native to continue as he took his car to the garage and ended his race with a DNF, a day after notching his first top-five career finish in the Cup Series. Under caution, some that included Blaney, Truex, Logano, Kyle Busch and Harvick remained on track while others led by Keselowski pitted. Following the pit stops, Ty Dillon edged Keselowski to exit first after taking only fuel to his No. 13 GEICO/Germain Racing Chevrolet. Prior to the restart, drivers like Kurt Busch, Stenhouse, Byron and the Dillon brothers pitted again to top off with fuel.

    The race restarted on Lap 44, and Truex challenged Blaney for the lead through Turn 1 before Blaney rocketed on the outside lane through Turn 2. Two laps later, Buescher slipped in Turn 3 and made contact with the outside wall, thus drawing another caution. With Buescher coming back across the track and straightening his car with rear end damage, the field scattered to avoid making contact with Buescher’s No. 17 Fastenal/Roush Fenway Racing Ford. Under caution, a majority of the leaders remained on track while others like Almirola, Ryan Newman, Daniel Suarez, rookie John Hunter Nemechek and LaJoie pitted.

    When the race restarted on Lap 49, Truex made another attempt for the lead, but Blaney retained it through the Long Pond Straightaway. Behind, Kyle Busch was in third followed by Wallace and Hamlin with DiBenedetto falling back to sixth. Six laps later, Blaney was ahead by a second over teammates Truex, Kyle Busch and Hamlin. Harvick was in eighth while battling Elliott and Logano for position. Two laps later, Blaney surrendered the lead to make a scheduled green-flag pit stop. Blaney’s move allowed Kyle Busch to move into the lead followed by teammates Hamlin and Truex with Wallace, DiBenedetto, Harvick and Elliott trailing by more than four seconds. The following three laps, Truex, Kyle Busch and Wallace made a green-flag pit stop while Hamlin moved into the lead. Two laps later, Hamlin was leading by five seconds over Harvick while his fourth Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Erik Jones, was in sixth after passing Logano.

    Three laps later, Logano made a green-flag pit stop. By the time Logano returned, he was lapped by Hamlin. When the field reached its halfway mark of the 140-mile race and the sun was shining to its dwindling moments, Hamlin, who had just lapped Wallace, was leading by three seconds over Harvick, eight seconds over DiBenedetto and nearly nine seconds over Elliott. Meanwhile, drivers like Kyle Busch, Blaney and Truex were trapped outside the top 20.

    With 10 laps remaining in the second stage, the caution flew when Kyle Busch, who was battling Blaney, was bumped by Blaney entering Turn 2, spun and made hard contact with the inside wall as he crumbled the front nose of his No. 18 M&M’s/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, thus ending his day on the wrecker and winless for another week to the 2020 season. 

    “I don’t know,” Busch said after exiting the infield care center. “The [pit] guys did an amazing job from yesterday to today. I guess it proves that you get a little bit of practice time in and we’re gonna be a force to be reckon with. So hopefully, life gets back to normal, eventually. We’re in [year] 2020, so it doesn’t surprise me to get crashed out of the lead. The M&M’s Camry was pretty fast there. [Crew chief] Adam [Stevens] and the guys did a great job. It’s just very frustrating, unfortunate. I know what happened, but it doesn’t make any sense to talk about it because it will come across as a bad way.”

    Under caution, a majority of the leaders, led by Hamlin, pitted and Harvick exited first. Under the pit stops, Bowman was penalized for equipment interference after interfering with Blaney’s pit stop. Keselowski, Almirola, Stenhouse, Newman, Austin Dillon and Truex remained on the track.

    With six laps remaining in the second stage, Almirola assumed the lead over Keselowski, but the caution quickly returned when Preece spun in the middle of Turn 2. No one else made contact with Preece as Wallace went all the way below the apron to dodge Preece. Preece was able to return to the pits for fresh tires. Under caution, drivers like Jones, Wallace, Logano and LaJoie pitted.

    The race restarted with two laps remaining in the second stage and Keselowski reassumed the lead from Almirola. Keselowski was able to claim the second stage on Lap 85 by more than a second over Almirola. Newman finished third followed by Truex and Stenhouse while Harvick, Austin Dillon, Kurt Busch, DiBenedetto and Hamlin rounded out the top 10.

    Under the stage break, a handful of competitors that included Truex, Austin Dillon, Almirola, Stenhouse, rookie Brennan Poole, Suarez and Preece pitted for four tires.

    When the final stage started with 51 laps remaining and the sun was slowly setting, Keselowski retained the lead as Kurt Busch charged into second. Four laps later, Harvick moved into second as Kurt Busch was left in a battle with Hamlin for position. Another three laps later, Keselowski surrendered the lead to pit for fuel, giving the lead to Harvick with Hamlin trailing by over a second and Elliott by six seconds.

    Soon after, Logano and Newman made a green-flag pit stop. Logano, however, was penalized for driving through too many pit stalls. During his green-flag stop to change only his right-side tires, Johnson clipped a tire from one of his crew members while exiting his pit stall. With the tire rolling out of his pit box, Johnson was penalized for an uncontrolled tire violation. Other drivers that pitted under green included Blaney, Kenseth, DiBenedetto, Kurt Busch and Elliott.

    With 35 laps remaining, Harvick made a green-flag pit stop for two fresh tires and enough fuel to complete the race. Hamlin returned to the lead, still needing to make a final green-flag pit stop, as Bowyer also pitted while Jones moved into second. Soon after, Bowman pitted followed by Wallace. With 30 laps remaining, Hamlin, who was still attempting to stretch his fuel tank to its fullest, was still leading by nearly nine seconds over Jones and 17 seconds over Almirola while Harvick was in 13th and less than 30 seconds behind the leaders. Aside from the top three, other drivers still racing on the track on low fuel included Truex, Byron, Stenhouse, Wallace, Custer, Austin Dillon and Nemechek.

    With 26 to go, Jones made a green-flag pit stop as Almirola moved into second. The following lap, Custer also pitted. By then, Harvick had carved his way up to sixth and was more than 33 seconds behind Hamlin, who was still leading by nearly 17 seconds over Almirola.

    With 20 to go, Hamlin pulled into his pit stall and pitted for four seconds of fuel and a two-tire pit stop with the driver and crew chief Chris Gabehart banking on exiting pit road and getting up to speed in front of Harvick. By the time Hamlin exited pit road, he was able to fire off ahead of Harvick, who was still nearly three seconds behind and tucked behind Stenhouse. During Hamlin’s stop, Almirola also made a green-flag pit stop as Truex assumed command. With 15 to go, Truex pitted and Hamlin returned to the lead by more than two seconds over Harvick.

    With ten laps remaining, Hamlin stabilized his lead by three seconds over Harvick despite encountering lapped traffic. At that time, Keselowski was in third followed by Elliott and Jones while Almirola was in sixth, trailing by nearly 22 seconds. In addition, Austin Dillon and Stenhouse surrendered their runs in the top 10 to pit. As the laps and the sun continued to dwindle around the Tricky Triangle, Hamlin continued to lead while Harvick was unable to narrow his deficit to Hamlin and as Keselowski slowly started catching Harvick for second. Behind, Jones moved into fourth after passing Elliott.

    With four laps remaining, Keselowski made a green-flag pit stop after running out of fuel, which allowed Jones, Elliott and Almirola to move into the top five. It did not change anything at the front as Hamlin was able to start the final lap of the race. For one final lap, Hamlin was able to stabilize his gap from Harvick and cruise to the checkered flag for another win to this season.

    With his sixth win at Pocono, Hamlin, who won after starting 19th, tied Jeff Gordon for the most wins at the Tricky Triangle track. In addition, Hamlin recorded his 60th win across NASCAR’s three major division series and he recorded the 350th victory for Joe Gibbs Racing across the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series. The victory was Hamlin’s 10th with crew chief Chris Gabehart.

    “A lot of adversity early,” Hamlin said. “We got some nose damage, had to fix that. We just worked on the car and got it better and better. I mean, it finished the race there a lot better than what we finished yesterday, and I thought we had a race-winning car yesterday. We knew after yesterday’s race and showing the speed we had, just don’t mess it up and we got a good shot today, and that’s what we did. You got to work [the pit strategy], but ultimately, the two fastest cars finished one, two both days. I think that there’s no secret there and this team’s been strong every week. We were in contention to win every single week and that’s all you can ask for as a racecar driver, and we’re just on a roll right now. We’re gonna keep getting better, keep getting faster racecars and giving me a bigger box to work in. If we don’t have the exact race setup or the handling’s not perfect, we’re still going out there winning races because we got decent car speed. We’re just continuing to make our stuff a little bit better and it’s making that room for error just a little bit bigger.”

    Harvick finished second, trailing Hamlin by three seconds, as he came one position short in winning back-to-back races at Pocono in the same weekend.

    “Yeah, we just pitted too early today and gave up too much time in lapped traffic,” Harvick said. “Yesterday, we won the race pitting that way. Just really proud of everybody on our Head for the Mountains Busch Beer Ford Mustang. Great two races and we’ll go to the next one.”

    Jones finished third followed by Elliott and Almirola. DiBenedetto and Byron finished sixth and seventh while Bowyer rubbed and edged Bowman to finish eighth. Truex rounded out the top 10. Keselowski settled in 11th following his late pit stop while Johnson finished 16th in his 38th and final start at Pocono.

    The race capped off an eventful day at Pocono, where all three of NASCAR’s major division series raced on the same day at the exact venue for the first time in the sport’s history. It also capped off a three-day race span at Pocono featuring five stock car division series races and five different winners.

    There were 12 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 32 laps.

    With his finishes of first and second this weekend, Harvick retains the lead in the Cup Series regular-season standings by 52 points over Blaney.

    Results.

    1. Denny Hamlin, 49 laps led

    2. Kevin Harvick, 11 laps led

    3. Erik Jones

    4. Chase Elliott

    5. Aric Almirola, four laps led

    6. Matt DiBenedetto

    7. William Byron

    8. Clint Bowyer

    9. Alex Bowman

    10. Martin Truex Jr., five laps led

    11. Brad Keselowski, 13 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    12. Matt Kenseth

    13. Kurt Busch, 35 laps led, Stage 1 winner

    14. Austin Dillon

    15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    16. Jimmie Johnson

    17. Cole Custer

    18. Ryan Newman, one lap down

    19. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap down

    20. Bubba Wallace, one lap down

    21. Corey LaJoie, one lap down

    22. Ryan Blaney, one lap down, 21 laps led

    23. Ty Dillon, one lap down

    24. Joey Logano, one lap down

    25. Ryan Preece, one lap down

    26. Daniel Suarez, one lap down

    27. Brennan Poole, two laps down

    28. J.J. Yeley, two laps down

    29. Timmy Hill, three laps down

    30. James Davison, four laps down

    31. Quin Houff, four laps down

    32. Garrett Smithley, four laps down

    33. Joey Gase, four laps down

    34. Josh Bilicki, four laps down

    35. Tyler Reddick, five laps down

    36. Chris Buescher, five laps down

    37. B.J. McLeod, seven laps down

    38. Kyle Busch – OUT, Accident, two laps led

    39. Christopher Bell – OUT, Accident

    40. Michael McDowell – OUT, Accident

    The NASCAR Cup Series’ next destination is at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400. The race will air on July 5 at 4 p.m. on NBC.

  • Harvick benefits on strategy, outduels Hamlin for first Pocono triumph

    Harvick benefits on strategy, outduels Hamlin for first Pocono triumph

    In his 39th attempt at a track dubbed the Tricky Triangle, Kevin Harvick scratched Pocono Raceway off of his bucket list. Harvick exited ahead of teammate Aric Almirola with 37 laps remaining following a two-tire pit stop, inherited the lead twenty laps later and held off a late challenge from Denny Hamlin to win the Pocono Organics 325, the first of two Pocono Raceway events this weekend, for his third NASCAR Cup Series win of the season and the 52nd of his career.

    The starting lineup was based on a random draw. Almirola, coming off his third-place result at Talladega Superspeedway backwards, drew the pole position and was joined on the front row with Ryan Blaney, who won at Talladega. Rookie Brennan Poole started at the rear of the field after his car failed pre-race inspection twice along with Josh Bilicki due to unapproved adjustments.

    Delayed by scattered rain, the field ran extra pace laps under caution. When the green flag waved and the race commenced, Blaney made an attempt for the lead on the inside lane, but he got loose entering Turn 1, which allowed Almirola to clear with the lead through the Long Pond Straightaway as Kyle Busch moved into second. On the fifth lap, Blaney retook second and was followed by teammate Joey Logano while Kyle Busch slipped back to fourth. 

    At the front, Almirola was able to maintain his advantage by a second over Logano and above two seconds over Blaney through the competition caution on Lap 13. By then, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Matt DiBenedetto, both of whom started 14th and 21st, moved up to 10th and 11th while Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick, both of whom started fifth and ninth, had fallen back to 12th and 15th. Under caution, the top-eight competitors remained on track while a majority led by Jimmie Johnson pitted for early adjustments. When the pit stops cycled through, 14 competitors remained on track while Johnson was in 15th, the first car on fresh tires.

    When the green flag flew and the race resumed on Lap 17, a handful of competitors running in the middle of the pack fanned out in racing five- to six-wide past the start/finish line before settling into side-by-side racing through Turn 1. Meanwhile, Almirola retained the lead followed by Logano while Blaney and Kyle Busch battled for third. The caution returned when rookie Quin Houff spun in Turn 2 and made contact with the inside wall.

    The following restart, on Lap 21, Logano, who was lined up with teammates Blaney and Brad Keselowski, was able to race alongside Almirola entering Turn 1 before he took the lead through the Long Pond Straight. By then, Chase Elliott, who was racing on fresh tires, moved into the top five after passing Kurt Busch. Two laps later, drivers like Denny Hamlin, Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and rookie Christopher Bell pitted under green as part of a strategic move for the following stage. While most of the battling for track position occurred just outside the top 10, Logano was able to cruise to the first stage win. Almirola finished second followed by Blaney while Kyle Busch and Elliott finished in the top five. Kurt Busch, DiBenedetto, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman and Erik Jones finished in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, some led by Logano remained on track while others like Kyle Busch, Keselowski, Johnson, Clint Bowyer, rookie Tyler Reddick, Ryan Newman, Jones, Bubba Wallace, rookie Cole Custer, Ryan Preece, Michael McDowell and Daniel Suarez pitted. Following the pit stops, Reddick was assessed a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road.

    The second stage started on Lap 31, where Almirola was able to return to the lead after restarting on the bottom lane. Logano dropped to second while Elliott moved into third after passing Blaney. By then, DiBenedetto moved into the top five while Bowman, Austin Dillon and William Byron were running seventh through ninth. 

    By Lap 35, Hamlin was in 13th followed by Harvick and Kyle Busch while Johnson was in 20th. Over the next 10 laps, Blaney, Kurt Busch, Logano, DiBenedetto and Bowman made a green-flag pit stop. A lap later, on Lap 46, Almirola pitted under green along with Elliott. Their pit stops allowed Truex, who last pitted on Lap 14, to take the lead followed by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin and Kyle Busch, all of whom were running with distinct pit strategies. Byron was in fourth followed by Austin Dillon, Chris Buescher and Jones.

    By Lap 55, Truex was ahead by three-tenths of a second over Hamlin with Kyle Busch trailing by nearly two seconds. Behind, Harvick was in seventh, Matt Kenseth was in ninth and Bell was the highest-running rookie in 10th with Nemechek and Reddick in 12th and 13th. Johnson was in 14th followed by Wallace while Bowyer was in 20th. Almirola was in 24th followed by Logano, Blaney, Elliott, Kurt Busch and DiBenedetto, all of whom trailed the leaders by 28 seconds.

    Over the next five laps, Nemechek, Buescher and Austin Dillon made a green-flag pit stop. On Lap 60, Hamlin passed teammate Truex to inherit the lead. At the same time, Byron made a green-flag pit stop. Shortly after, Truex pitted along with Kenseth as his two teammates, Kyle Busch and Jones, moved into second and third. By then, Harvick and Bell were in the top five while Almirola was in 14th. A lap later, Johnson made a pit stop, but nearly made contact with the lapped car of Bilicki while trying to enter his pit box.

    With 13 laps remaining in the second stage, J.J. Yeley blew a left-front tire following contact with Nemechek the previous lap entering Turn 4 and drew a caution when the tire shredded and debris scattered from Yeley’s car. Under caution, nearly the entire field led by Hamlin and Kyle Busch pitted with Hamlin exiting first on four fresh tires. Following the pit stops, Ty Dillon was assessed a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road. When the field cycled through, Almirola remained on track and returned the lead followed by Logano, Blaney, Elliott, Truex, Kurt Busch, Bowman, DiBenedetto and Byron.

    The green flag returned with eight laps remaining in the second stage and Almirola was able to fend off teammates Logano and Blaney to retain the lead through Turn 1. By then, Hamlin wasted no time carving his way to seventh. Two laps later, Jones lifted off the throttle entering Turn 4 and Reddick made contact with Jones’ No. 20 Toyota as both slid towards the inside wall with Jones pounding the wall head-on and Reddick sustaining heavy damage to the right side of his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. The caution fell following the wreck. Jones retired, moving him into a backup car for Sunday’s second Cup Pocono race, while Reddick continued. Under caution, a handful of competitors, including Kurt Busch, Byron, Austin Dillon, Johnson and Custer, pitted. On the track, Stenhouse stalled his car due to low fuel pressure and pitted to address the issue.

    With two laps remaining in the second stage, Almirola and Logano raced dead even through Turn 1 before Almirola cleared Logano on the outside lane through the first turn. With a majority of competitors jostling for positions in the two-lap dash, Almirola was able to win the second stage by three-tenths of a second over Logano for his first stage win of the 2020 season and gain crucial points towards the Playoffs. Truex settled in third followed by Blaney and DiBenedetto while Bowman, Harvick, Kyle Busch, Hamlin and Elliott finished in the top 10. 

    Under the stage break, only a handful of competitors that included Blaney, Elliott, Ty Dillon and Byron pitted while the rest remained on track. Elliott spent extra time in his pit box to have his right rear fender repaired. In addition, he turned down a bungee chord to hold his car in fourth gear, which popped out, as he will manage the gear himself for the remainder of the race. To make matters worse, he was penalized due to an uncontrolled tire violation and restarted towards the tail end of the lead lap car.

    The final stage commenced with 48 laps remaining as Almirola received a push from DiBenedetto to retain the lead. On the Long Pond Straight, Harvick went three wide with Logano and DiBenedetto to move into second. Logano fell back to sixth as DiBenedetto, Truex and Hamlin passed him.

    Eight laps later, Almirola was still ahead by six-tenths of a second over Harvick with DiBenedetto trailing by nearly four seconds. Truex, Logano and Hamlin were running fourth through sixth while Bowman, Newman, Kyle Busch and Bell were running inside the top 10. Shortly after, the following competitors of Blaney, Logano, Keselowski, Truex, Kyle Busch, Byron and Johnson made a green-flag pit stop. Over the next two laps, Bowman pitted along with teammate Elliott, Wallace, Bowyer and DiBenedetto.

    With 37 laps remaining, teammates Almirola and Harvick made their green-flag pit stops, but Harvick exited ahead of Almirola following a two-tire stop. Their services gave the lead to Hamlin followed by Newman, Michael McDowell, Buescher and Preece. Others competitors that pitted during this time included Nemechek, Kurt Busch, Bell, Austin Dillon and Kenseth. Five laps later, Hamlin surrendered the lead to pit for two fresh tires as Newman moved into the lead. By then, the top-seven competitors were still racing out on old tires and low fuel while Harvick, the first with fresh tires and a full tank of gas, was in eighth.

    With 23 laps remaining, Ty Dillon pitted for fuel while the top-six cars led by Newman continued running on the track as the leaders on low fuel and worn tires. Three laps later, McDowell passed Newman to move into the lead. Buescher was in third behind McDowell and Newman followed by Preece and Stenhouse. Shortly after, McDowell, Newman and Stenhouse pitted, giving the lead to Buescher. Another lap later, Preece pitted as Harvick moved into second, trailing Buescher by more than 11 seconds.

    Six laps later, Buescher pitted and Harvick assumed the lead with Hamlin, Almirola, Truex, Bell and Kyle Busch trailing. Another two laps later, Bowman made an unscheduled pit stop to address a flat right-rear tire and minimal damage to the right side of his No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The race remained under green-flag conditions with no debris reported on the track from Bowman’s car.

    With the laps dwindling, Hamlin, who reported vibrating issues to his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, started to narrow his deficit from Harvick, who was approaching lapped traffic. With 10 laps remaining, Harvick was ahead by less than a second over Hamlin with Almirola trailing by nearly 13 seconds, Bell by nearly 16 seconds and teammates Kyle Busch and Truex by approximately 18 seconds. 

    Three laps later, with seven to go, Logano made an unscheduled pit stop after blowing a left-front tire, but the race remained under green. By then, Elliott was lapped by Harvick, who was still a second ahead over Hamlin and more than 12 seconds ahead of Almirola. Another three laps later, Harvick, who had lapped Wallace, stabilized his lead to more than a second over Hamlin, who continued reporting vibrating concerns to his car. The following lap, Hamlin decreased his deficit to less than half a second to Harvick as the battle between the two veterans ignited. Though Hamlin nearly drew himself to the rear bumper of Harvick in the Long Pond Straightaway, Harvick gained a huge run entering Turn 4, which stalled Hamlin’s progress.

    When the final lap started, Harvick was ahead by three-tenths of a second over Hamlin. In the Long Pond Straight, Harvick was able to increase his lead by another three-tenths of a second after he broke Hamlin’s draft towards Harvick, which gave the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford the advantage and the gap he needed to claim his first elusive checkered flag at Pocono.

    Coming into this weekend’s doubleheader, Harvick’s previous best result at Pocono was second four times. With his first win at the Tricky Triangle, Kentucky Speedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval remain the only active Cup tracks where Harvick has yet to fill in a win column. In addition, Harvick joined Hamlin as the only three-time winners of this year’s Cup season with 14 races completed as he also recorded the third Cup victory of 2020 for Stewart-Haas Racing and the eighth for the Ford nameplate.

    “[I] Just gotta thank everybody on our Head for the Mountains Busch Beer Ford Mustang,” Harvick said on FOX. “We weren’t where we needed to be to start the start. Lost a bunch of track position. Came back, made some great strategy calls and we were able to get out front and make some good laps. It’s great to, finally, check Pocono off the list. Everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing has done such a great job with all of our cars every time we’ve come here over the last seven years. I guess we just need special paint schemes to get to Victory Lane. Just glad it didn’t rain all day. I think in the end, it’s gonna come down to strategy and what you need to do [on Sunday].”

    Hamlin finished second, more than seven-tenths of a second behind Harvick, for his eighth top-five result of this season followed by Almirola, who led a race-high 61 of the event’s 130-scheduled laps and earned his third consecutive top-five result this season. 

    “[The vibration]’s bad,” Hamlin said. “It was like someone loosened all the [lug] nuts on the car. It’s unfortunate. We got there and we came there from a long way back. Had a strong FedEx Camry. With about 15, 20 to go, the vibration just got really, really bad. Still, it would’ve been tough to pass. Even though we got there, it was gonna be tough to get around [Harvick]. Man, our car was extremely, extremely fast. [I’m] Optimistic for tomorrow’s race, for sure.”

    “We opted to score a lot of points [in the stages], and that probably hurt us on strategy a little bit, but I’m really proud of [crew chief Mike] Buga [Bugarewicz] and these [No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford] guys,” Almirola said. “They’ve been bringing some awesome race cars. I felt like we were tit-for-tat there with [Harvick] when we were on older tires and in clean air. We’re trying to keep the momentum going. Three top fives in a row. I’m really proud of my race team.”

    Bell and Kyle Busch finished in the top five. Truex, Bowyer, McDowell and Keselowski finished sixth through ninth while Buescher passed Kenseth with two laps remaining to finish 10th. Ryan Preece finished 20th and will start on the pole position for the second Pocono race on Sunday, where he will share the front row with 19th-place finisher Austin Dillon. Melbourne, Australia’s James Davison finished 34th, five laps behind the leaders, in his Cup debut.

    There were 10 lead changes for eight different leaders. The race featured six cautions for 21 laps. Only 21 of the 40-car field finished on the lead lap.

    With his victory, Harvick stabilized his lead in the Cup Series regular-season standings by 29 points over Blaney and 47 over Logano.

    Results:

    1. Kevin Harvick, 17 laps led

    2. Denny Hamlin, 10 laps led

    3. Aric Almirola, 61 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    4. Christopher Bell

    5. Kyle Busch

    6. Martin Truex Jr., 14 laps led

    7. Clint Bowyer

    8. Michael McDowell, one lap led

    9. Brad Keselowski

    10. Chris Buescher, three laps led

    11. Matt Kenseth

    12. Ryan Blaney

    13. Matt DiBenedetto

    14. William Byron

    15. Ryan Newman, 13 laps led

    16. Cole Custer

    17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

    18. Kurt Busch

    19. Austin Dillon

    20. Ryan Preece

    21. Jimmie Johnson

    22. Bubba Wallace, one lap down

    23. Corey LaJoie, one lap down

    24. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap down

    25. Chase Elliott, one lap down

    26. Ty Dillon, one lap down

    27. Alex Bowman, one lap down

    28. Daniel Suarez, two laps down

    29. Brennan Poole, three laps down

    30. Tyler Reddick, four laps down

    31. J.J. Yeley, five laps down

    32. Josh Bilicki, five laps down

    33. Garrett Smithley, five laps down

    34. James Davison, five laps down

    35. Timmy Hill, five laps down

    36. Joey Logano, six laps down

    37. Joey Gase, nine laps down

    38. Erik Jones – OUT, Accident

    39. BJ McLeod – OUT, Transmission

    40. Quin Houff – OUT, Accident

    The Cup Series’ second Pocono race as part of the doubleheader feature will air the following day, June 28, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Atlanta

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 105 of the final 108 laps, dominating the last stage to win the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta.

    “The No. 4 Chevy was awesome today,” Harvick said. “I knew we were going to be fast by just looking at our paint scheme. Busch beer and Hunt Brothers Pizza make a lethal combination, and not just in your stomach.”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano came home 10th at Atlanta, posting his fifth top 10 of the season.

    “I guess I could blame my performance on handling,” Logano said. “I didn’t have a handling problem last week at Bristol, because regarding the Chase Elliott wrecking me situation, I ‘handled’ it. Of course, I handled it not with a fist, but with the hand of compassion, which most would say has ruined too many budding feuds in this sport.”

    3. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished ninth at Atlanta.

    “It’s an unprecedented time in our sport,” Keselowski said. “Hopefully, things will change. But how must Richard Petty and Richard Childress be feeling for criticizing kneeling athletes in the past? Probably like ‘Dicks.’”

    4. Chase Elliott: Elliott started on the pole at Atlanta and finished eighth.

    “It’s always fun racing on Atlanta’s surface,” Elliott said. “The track can get pretty slick, especially on the turns with their 24 degree banking. And a ‘slippery slope’ fits in perfectly with NASCAR’s newfound political stance.”

    5. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex won Stages 1 and 2 at Atlanta, but couldn’t catch Kevin Harvick over the course of the final stage. Truex settled for third, right behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch.

    “Harvick had the best car when it counted,” Truex said. “In other words, he was in the driver’s seat. That meant I had to take a back seat.”

    6. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished 12th at Atlanta, and is eighth in the points standings.

    “It’s good to hear Bubba Wallace is doing better,” Bowman said. “I hear he got the ‘OK’ from doctors, right after they gave him the ‘IV.’”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished fifth at Atlanta and is now seventh in the Cup points standings, 94 out of first.

    “Wow,” Hamlin said, “Bubba Wallace passed out during an interview after the race. That’s one instance in which even Richard Petty says it’s okay to take a knee.”

    8. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished fourth in the Folds Of Honor QuikTrip 500.

    “And speaking of ‘Quik Trips,’” Blaney said, “NASCAR’s road to racial justice recognition should be over soon, once the fan base takes its stand, which certainly won’t be on a knee.”

    9. Kyle Busch: Kyle Busch finished second at Atlanta, claiming his second consecutive top-five result.

    “Now that the Trucks bounty is off my head,” Busch said, “I feel like I’ve found a renewed focus. Just give me a few races, and I’m sure I’ll become the ‘poster boy’ for something.”

    10. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished seventh at Atlanta and hasn’t won a race in over three years.

    “I think it’s great that we paused for a moment of silence before the start of the race,” Johnson said. “It would have been even better if we then paused for a moment of uncomfortable silence in honor of all the drivers and owners who haven’t spoken out against racial injustice.”

  • Harvick claims second win of the season at Atlanta

    Harvick claims second win of the season at Atlanta

    Kevin Harvick took command in the final stage and cruised to a dominating win in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The victory was Harvick’s second of the season, third at Atlanta and the 51st of his NASCAR Cup Series career. The win was Harvick’s 28th while driving the No. 4 car for Stewart-Haas Racing and it moved him into 12th place on the all-time Cup wins list. The win also came as Harvick’s crew chief Rodney Childers celebrated his 44th birthday.

    The starting lineup was based on a random draw. Hometown hero Chase Elliott drew the pole position and shared the front row with Aric Almirola. Kurt Busch dropped to the rear of the field and was assessed a pass-through penalty down pit road at the start of the race for failing pre-race inspection three times. Corey LaJoie and Garrett Smithley also dropped to the rear of the field for failing inspection twice along with Timmy Hill and Cole Custer, both due to unapproved adjustments.

    Following the opening pace laps, the field parked on the frontstretch, the crew members stood above the pit wall and the entire NASCAR community paused for a moment of silence/listening before NASCAR president Steve Phelps addressed the competitors and fans in a PA message, citing a need for change toward the stemming acts of racial inequalities and injustices in society. During this time, a video was aired that featured multiple Cup competitors addressing a unified message against racial inequality.

    When the green flag waved, Elliott, who started on the inside lane from the pole, rocketed away with the lead followed by Joey Logano as Almirola, who started on the outside lane, dropped to third and battled with Kyle Busch through Turn 2. By the fifth lap, Elliott maintained a half-second lead over Logano followed by Almirola, Busch and last year’s Atlanta winner Brad Keselowski. Behind the leaders, a multitude of competitors were dicing against one another for early positions through each corner and straightaway.

    By the 10th lap, Reddick, who started 24th, was in 13th while Erik Jones, who started 14th, was in eighth. Teammates Clint Bowyer and Harvick were battling for sixth followed by Martin Truex Jr., who started 11th. Jimmie Johnson, who started 15th and gave the command for drivers to start engines, was in 12th. After serving his drive-through penalty at the start of the race, Kurt Busch was in 39th, one lap behind.

    When the competition caution flew on Lap 25, Elliott had managed to stretch his advantage to three seconds over Almirola followed by Logano, Harvick and Kyle Busch. In addition, Daniel Suarez remained on the lead lap and Kurt Busch, who was in 32nd and the first car a lap down, was the recipient of the free pass and returned to the lead lap under caution. Under caution, the leaders pitted. Following the stops, Logano emerged with the lead followed by Kyle Busch, Harvick and Elliott. During the pit stops, Blaney was pinned behind another car while struggling to exit his pit stall and lost a multitude of positions, where he settled inside the top 20.

    When the race restarted on Lap 30, Logano led the field in Turn 1 followed by teammates Harvick and Bowyer as Truex Jr. went three-wide with Almirola and Hamlin in Turn 2. Truex used the high lane to his advantage to gain more spots and make his way inside the top five. In Turn 3, William Byron slipped and made contact with the outside wall due to a cut right-rear tire, which forced him to make an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 32 to have the damage repaired to his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. The damage cost Byron six laps. The race, however, remained green as the field continued dicing for positions, with Logano leading by half a second over Harvick. Meanwhile, Reddick advanced to sixth and started to pursue Busch and Truex for position in the top five while Elliott fell back to seventh.

    On Lap 36, Harvick emerged as the new leader after passing Logano in Turn 3. Nine laps later, Truex and Kyle Busch made their way to second and third while Logano slipped to fourth and in a battle with Bowyer. Through Lap 50, Kurt Busch, who was back on the lead lap following the competition caution, was in 15th.

    By Lap 60, Harvick’s lead stabilized to nearly a second over Truex and the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford had also lapped 10 cars. Behind him, Kyle Busch trailed by more than six seconds while Bowyer trailed by nearly nine seconds after overtaking Logano for position following a lengthy battle.

    Four laps later, green-flag pit stops initiated when Ryan Newman was the first to pit. During the cycle of the stops, Newman and Keselowski returned to pit road after both were penalized for speeding during their stops. When the stops cycled through, Harvick returned to the lead and was ahead by nearly four seconds over Truex. Bowyer, Logano and Elliott moved into the top five, trailing Harvick by more than 10 seconds, while Kyle Busch fell to sixth ahead of Reddick. Almirola, who was in 13th, pitted again due to a loose wheel and to have lug nuts tightened on his machine.

    By Lap 80, Harvick’s lead decreased to above a second over Truex as Harvick started to approach lapped traffic. Six laps later, Truex gained a huge run on Harvick in Turn 2 and made a move on the inside lane to take the lead entering Turn 3 and pull away by half a second. During this time, Kyle Busch overtook Elliott for fifth while Johnson and Kurt Busch were running ninth and 11th.

    Just when Truex was trying to lap Bubba Wallace, the second caution flew on Lap 95 when John Hunter Nemechek spun entering Turn 4. At the time of caution, Wallace was able to remain on the lead lap while Matt DiBenedetto, who was in 18th and the first car a lap down, was the beneficiary of the free pass to return on the lead lap. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Truex retained the lead over Harvick followed by Bowyer, Logano and Kyle Busch.

    With six laps remaining in the first stage, Truex received a bump from Bowyer and Kyle Busch on the inside lane to take off with the lead through Turn 1. A lap later, Busch took second while Harvick settled in fourth. In Turn 3, Jones, Reddick and Hamlin went three wide before Jones came out in fifth and Stenhouse and Elliott joined the battle with Reddick and Hamlin.

    While the field continued jostling for position, Truex held off teammate Busch by two-tenths of a second to win the first stage and collect his first stage win of the season. Bowyer finished third followed by Hamlin and Harvick. Elliott, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Jones, Johnson and Blaney finished in the top 10 while Reddick was shuffled back to 18th.

    Under the stage break, the leaders returned to pit road for service. Following the stops, Bowyer gained two spots to emerge as the new leader followed by Truex, Kyle Busch, Hamlin and Elliott. Following the pit stops, Logano, Kenseth and Bell sustained damage after making contact on pit road.

    The second stage started on Lap 112 and Bowyer used the inside lane to lead the field through Turn 1. Truex, however, received a bump from Hamlin to fight back on the outside lane entering Turn 3. Truex and Bowyer battled against one another hard for the lead as Hamlin made a three-wide move on Harvick and Elliott in Turn 3 to gain more positions before settling in third over Elliott, Kyle Busch and Harvick. By Lap 116, Bowyer cleared Truex and maintained his advantage by less than half a second. 

    Through Lap 125, Bowyer stretched his lead to above half a second over Truex. During this time, Elliott, Hamlin and Kyle Busch settled in the top five, Johnson was in seventh ahead of DiBenedetto, Jones was in ninth followed by Alex Bowman and Kurt Busch was in 11th ahead of teammates Blaney and Keselowski. In addition, Stenhouse and Wallace were in 14th and 15th while Newman and Matt Kenseth were in 21st and 25th. Reddick had fallen back to 23rd while Bell was the highest-running rookie in 17th. After racing toward the front at the start of the race, Almirola and Logano were in 18th and 24th.

    On Lap 147, early disaster struck for Bowyer when he made an unscheduled pit stop for four fresh tires and perceived that he had a cut right-rear tire. Bowyer’s move allowed Truex to return to the lead, who was more than two seconds ahead of Hamlin.

    With the race reaching Lap 156, a second round of green-flag pit stops commenced. Five laps later, nearly all the leaders pitted, except for teammates Keselowski and Blaney. Once the two front-runners pitted, Bowyer returned as the leader three laps later, leading Truex, who had fresher tires than Bowyer, by more than eight seconds. 

    By Lap 175, Bowyer’s advantage over Truex decreased from eight to less than two seconds while Kyle Busch trailed by three seconds. During this time, Bowman moved to sixth followed by DiBenedetto, Johnson and Elliott. Keselowski and Blaney, following their stops, were in 10th and 13th and Bell was in 14th followed by Stenhouse. Wallace, who was running within the top 15 prior to the green-flag stops, fell back to 29th to have a left-rear loose wheel fixed on his No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet, which cost him two laps. 

    By Lap 185, after gaining more ground on Bowyer, Truex returned to the lead in Turns 1 and 2. In addition, Kyle Busch gained a huge run in Turn 4 to move into the runner-up spot and Bowyer settled in third. On Lap 198, Hamlin gained a huge run through Turns 1 and 2 to move into third over Bowyer.

    With nine laps remaining in the first stage, just as Harvick passed Bowyer for fourth, the caution returned when Michael McDowell spun entering Turn 4 following contact with teammate Nemechek and slid through the grass before coasting his No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford through pit road. Under caution, the leaders pitted and Kyle Busch emerged as the new leader followed by Truex, who came to a near stop trying to avoid starting in second on the outside lane. Truex’s move stacked the field towards the end of pit road, but he exited second followed by Harvick, Blaney and Keselowski.

    With four laps remaining in the second stage, Busch and Truex battled through Turn 3 before Truex reassumed the lead followed by Blaney as Hamlin battled Busch for fourth. As the laps dwindled, Jones fell off the pace after being pinched into the wall with help from Bell, which cut his right-front tire. With no caution waving, Truex was able to hold off the field and win the second stage followed by Blaney, Kyle Busch, Hamlin and Elliott. Harvick, DiBenedetto, Keselowski, Bowyer and Johnson rounded out the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Kyle Busch exited pit road first again followed by Truex, Harvick, Elliott, Keselowski and Blaney.

    When the final stage started with 108 laps remaining, Kyle Busch received a push from Harvick to take off with the lead while Truex slipped to third. In Turn 3, Harvick made a move on the outside lane to return to the lead. A lap later, Truex moved into second as Busch battled Keselowski for third. Another lap later, Elliott used a crossover move in Turn 4 to move to fourth over Keselowski. 

    With 100 laps remaining, Busch, who had retaken second from Truex, narrowed his deficit to two-tenths of a second behind Harvick, but Harvick increased his lead to six-tenths three laps later as Truex retook second. Ten laps later, 90 to go, Harvick extended his advantage to a second over Truex with Kyle Busch trailing by two seconds and Elliott by more than three seconds. Another 10 laps later, Truex decreased the deficit to six-tenths of a second, but Harvick stabilized his lead to over a second five laps later.

    With 65 to go, the final round of green-flag pit stops occurred, starting with DiBenedetto pitting. Under the pit stops, Ty Dillon was assessed a speeding penalty. With 54 to go, after the field cycled through the stops, Harvick was back in the lead, leading by nearly two seconds over Truex, four seconds over Kyle Busch and nearly eight seconds over Hamlin.

    With 48 to go, Jones, who was trying to race his way back onto the lead lap following his contact with the wall at the conclusion of the second stage, pitted for service to his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, but returned shortly after being assessed a speeding penalty.

    As the laps continued to dwindle, Harvick started to stabilize and stretch his lead to a comfortable margin over Truex while making his way through lapped traffic. With 20 to go, Harvick was ahead by more than two seconds over Truex’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Kyle Busch was behind by nearly five seconds, Blaney by nearly 11 seconds and Hamlin by 14 seconds.

    With 14 to go, disaster struck again for Bowyer as he made his second unscheduled pit stop of the day to have a flat right-rear tire changed on his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. This misfortune cost him two laps and drew him out of contention for a top-10 result.

    With four to go, Busch made his way to second as Truex started to fade. By then, Harvick was long gone. With Busch unable to mount a late rally, Harvick was able to cruise to the checkered flag and win by nearly four seconds over Busch’s No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. After taking the checkered flag, Harvick did a reverse victory lap while holding three fingers outside of his car. His move mirrored the three fingers salute Harvick made after winning his first Cup race at Atlanta in 2001 and paying tribute to the late seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt Sr.

    “Obviously, [my] first win came for me here at Atlanta and this is just a race track I’ve taken a likening to,” Harvick said. “You always come back and have those memories, and now you want to celebrate everything that Dale Earnhardt did for this sport. To come here and be able to do that with wins and go to victory lane is pretty special. [The pit crew] had a great pit stop. We got a restart on the bottom [lane] and it got my car to take off. I was able to get track position and then, once I could get through those first 10 laps, my car was freed up enough to where I could get in a rhythm and really start hitting my marks. By about Lap 25, I could start driving away. Just proud of everybody from Busch Light, Ford, Stewart-Haas Racing, thank you, guys, for everything…you, the fans. We appreciate everything you guys do for us.”

    Busch settled in second for his third runner-up finish and sixth top-five result of 2020 while Truex finished third and claimed his first top-five result of this season. Blaney and Hamlin finished fourth and fifth while Kurt Busch rallied from his pass-through penalty at the start of the race to finish sixth for his seventh top-10 result of this season. Johnson finished seventh in his 29th and final start at Atlanta while Elliott, Keselowski and Logano rounded out the top 10.

    Following the race, Wallace, who finished 21st, was taken to the infield care center after appearing light headed while exiting his car, but he remained alert and awake. He would later be released from the care center.

    The race featured 21 lead changes with nine different leaders. There were five cautions for 24 laps. Only 10 cars finished on the lead lap.

    With his win, Harvick extended his lead in the Cup Series regular-season standings as he now leads by 48 points over Logano and 56 over Elliott. 

    Results:

    1. Kevin Harvick, 151 laps led

    2. Kyle Busch, seven laps led

    3. Martin Truex Jr., 65 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner

    4. Ryan Blaney, two laps led

    5. Denny Hamlin

    6. Kurt Busch, one lap led

    7. Jimmie Johnson

    8. Chase Elliott, 26 laps led

    9. Brad Keselowski, five laps led

    10. Joey Logano, 10 laps led

    11. Austin Dillon, one lap down

    12. Alex Bowman, one lap down

    13. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., one lap down

    14. Ryan Newman, one lap down

    15. Matt Kenseth, one lap down

    16. Tyler Reddick, one lap down

    17. Aric Almirola, one lap down

    18. Christopher Bell, one lap down

    19. Cole Custer, one lap down

    20. Clint Bowyer, one lap down, 58 laps led

    21. Bubba Wallace, one lap down

    22. Chris Buescher, one lap down

    23. John Hunter Nemechek, one lap down

    24. Michael McDowell, one lap down

    25. Matt DiBenedetto, one lap down

    26. Ryan Preece, two laps down

    27. Corey LaJoie, two laps down

    28. Erik Jones, three laps down

    29. Ty Dillon, three laps down

    30. Brennan Poole, four laps down

    31. Daniel Suarez, nine laps down

    32. Quin Houff, 11 laps down

    33. William Byron, 12 laps down

    34. Josh Bilicki, 12 laps down

    35. Garrett Smithley, 13 laps down

    36. J.J. Yeley, 14 laps down

    37. Reed Sorenson, 15 laps down

    38. Joey Gase, 17 laps down

    39. Timmy Hill – OUT, Electrical

    40. B.J. McLeod – OUT, Clutch

    Next on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Martinsville Speedway, which will occur on Wednesday, June 10, for the Cup Series’ third midweek race of this season. The race will air at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. 

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Charlotte

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished fifth in the Coca-Cola 600 and remains atop the points standings with a 23 point lead over Joey Logano.

    “Chase Elliott must be devastated,” Harvick said. “And it shows. Even with the specter of Coronavirus all around us, he still can’t ‘mask’ his disappointment.”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano won Stage 3 and finished 13th at Charlotte.

    “I turned 30 on Sunday,” Logano said. “NASCAR officials gave me a pit road speeding penalty for my birthday, apparently.”

    3. Alex Bowman: Bowman won Stages 1 and 2 at Charlotte, but faded late and finished 19th. He is third in the points standings, 25 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “Chase Elliott might be a little upset at crew chief Alan Gustafson for the decision to pit,” Bowman said. “I hear Gustafson came to Chase’s hauler to console him. Chase was having none of it. He told Alan to ‘Get out.’ And, most importantly, he told him to ‘Stay out!’”

    4. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski stayed out on a caution with two laps remaining and held off Jimmie Johnson to win the Coca-Cola 600.

    “I’d like to thank my team,” Keselowski said, “as well as the fans. I’d also like to thank the ‘man upstairs.’ That’s what I call the person sitting atop Chase Elliott’s pit box who made the decision to pit.”

    5. Chase Elliott: Elliott pitted with the lead when a caution flew with two laps remaining, a decision that ultimately cost him the win. A dejected Elliott finished second.

    “We blew that,” Elliott said. “It was such a bad decision, I gave myself the finger.

    “We thought pitting was definitely the right call, but it turned out to be one of the dumbest moves we’ve made. No matter how you look at it, it was a ‘no brainer.’”

    6. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 29th, seven laps down, after a disastrous start in Charlotte.

    “I had a rough start to my night,” Hamlin said. “I had to pit before the green flag because my ballast weights fell out. My response was, ‘Weight! What?’

    “On the bright side, I’ve already got two wins this season. So, mask or no mask, it’s easy to ‘put on a happy face.’”

    7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished third at Charlotte, posting his second top-five of the season. He is seventh in the points standings, 79 out of first.

    “Charlotte’s race was called the ‘Coca-Cola 600,” Blaney said. “When I looked into the stands, however, I thought ‘Coke Zero.’”

    8. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished 15th at Charlotte.

    “Kyle Larson won the World Of Outlaws race on Saturday night in Missouri,” Almirola said. “Earlier this year, he lost big in the ‘Words Of Outlaws.’”

    9. Kyle Busch: Busch came home fourth in the Coca Cola 600

    “It was an eventful week for Chase Elliott and his right arm,” Busch said. “First, I wrecked him in Darlington and he gives me the finger. Then, in Charlotte, he loses the race by his own hand.”

    10. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson finished second at Charlotte, but was disqualified after failing post-race inspection and relegated to last place.

    “As Kyle Busch might say,” Johnson said, “you can’t fix this and have ice cream later. But if I were to have ice cream, it would definitely be from DQ.”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Darlington

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Kevin Harvick: Harvick led 159 laps, including the final 78, to win the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington. He leads the points standings by a point over Joey Logano.

    “I’m holding my index finger high,” Harvick said, “because that indicates how many people will be at my victory celebration.

    “But all I can really say is ‘Woo hoo!,’ which I’m told is where this Coronavirus thing started. And one thing is certain, if you’re going to say ‘Buschhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh’ out loud, you better be wearing a mask.”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano finished 18th in the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington. He is second in the points standings, one behind Kevin Harvick.

    “The race in Darlington will be defined by the mask,” Logano said. “It’s NASCAR’s newest ‘SAFER’ barrier. If Kyle Larson shows up, he absolutely has to wear a mask, because he’s not allowed to show his face.”

    3. Alex Bowman: Bowman finished second at Darlington

    “I just signed a one-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports,” Bowman said. “It’s not really a long-term contract extension, but I’ll celebrate anyway, with these ‘(I Guess I’m) Wanted’ posters.”

    4. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin posted the top Toyota finish with a fifth at Darlington.

    “Hopefully,” Hamlin said, “we can get back to racing with fans soon. I feel like my chances of winning improve greatly with thousands of people in attendance, as opposed to just my seven-year-old daughter in attendance.”

    5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski started on the pole at Darlington and finished 13th.

    “I got the pole by virtue of a random draw,” Keselowski said. “My name was drawn, and someone said, ‘You’re P1 in Cup.’ Sometimes, a name is randomly drawn and someone says, ‘Your pee in this cup.’”

    6. Chase Elliott: Elliott came home fourth at Darlington and is now fourth in the points standings, 40 behind Kevin Harvick.

    “Congratulations to Kevin Harvick,” Elliott said. “He ran a heck of a race. I don’t mind complimenting Harvick. He’s a gracious winner, so I know he won’t rub it in our faces. Anyway, the current rules strictly prohibit that.”

    7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney finished 16th at Darlington and is now eighth in the points standings.

    “It’s great to get back to racing,” Blaney said. “It’s very weird racing in front of empty stands. But on the bright side, it gives fans the experience of actually being like a driver, because they were told to stay home just like Kyle Larson.”

    8. Aric Almirola: Almirola finished 12th in the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington.

    “I think wearing masks is important” Almirola said. “Without a mask, you can never really know what might go into your mouth. Or, in the case of Kyle Larson, come out of it.”

    9. Matt DiBenedetto: DiBenedetto came home 14th at Darlington, and is now ninth in the points standings.

    “This whole Coronavirus situation is unprecedented,” DiBenedetto said. “But for someone like Kyle Busch, however, nothing’s really changed. Even before Coronavirus, no one wanted to even be near him.”

    10. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson crashed while leading with a lap to go in Stage 1 at Darlington and eventually finished 38th.

    “I’ve now gone 100 races since my last Cup win,” Johnson said. “It seems like my current situation is defined more by ‘ago’ than ‘go.’”

  • Kevin Harvick tames the Lady in Black on NASCAR’s return to racing

    Kevin Harvick tames the Lady in Black on NASCAR’s return to racing

    Kevin Harvick found victory in the Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway earning his 50th win in the series.

    Brad Keselowski would start on the pole based upon a random draw. Kyle Busch would have to drop to the back due to failing inspection twice.

    As the field took the green flag, trouble would strike early as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. crashed off Turn 2, knocking the No. 47 out of the race early on.

    Keselowski would remain unchallenged before a competition caution on Lap 30 would bunch the field back up. Alex Bowman would surge to the front, passing the No. 2. Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and William Byron followed right behind the No. 88.

    As tire wear kicked in, some drivers would march their way forward. Denny Hamlin would catch Byron, while Johnson would inherit the race lead over Bowman. Johnson’s lead would be short-lived.

    On the final lap of the first stage, Johnson would try to lap Chris Buescher but the two collided off Turn 2, putting Johnson into the inside wall. After Johnson’s wreck, Byron would win Stage One. Hamlin, Bowman and Harvick would round out the rest of the top five while Keselowski, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Tyler Reddick, Ryan Newman, and Chase Elliott would round the rest of the top 10.

    Harvick would beat the leaders off pit lane, launching the No. 4 to the front. Elliott and Ryan Newman were penalized for speeding on pit road.

    On the restart to begin Stage Two Harvick would hold off Bowman to keep the race lead. Byron would smack the Turn 3 wall, and with an injured car would later spin into Turn 1 to bring out the yellow.

    Harvick would once again lead the field to the green with Kurt Busch and Bowman rounding out the Top 3. Daniel Suarez spun out on Lap 124 due to a right rear tire going down, creating the fifth caution of the day.

    Kyle Busch hit the wall, giving the No. 18 substantial damage to the right side.

    Parts of the Turn 3 banner would fly onto Hamlin’s car but he shortly got it off the front of his grille by drafting Bowyer. However, Reddick would have the remnants of the banner fly onto his Chevy. A yellow would fly due to the loose Blue-Emu wrapping on the Turn 3 wall.

    Harvick led on the restart with a push from Martin Truex Jr.

    On Lap 172 Christopher Bell would spin off Turn 4 to bring out another yellow. Keselowski inherited the race lead after pit stops while Harvick would lose seven positions on pit lane.

    Keselowski would win Stage Two with Bowman, Truex, Harvick, and Bowyer rounding the top five. Kurt Busch, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, Hamlin, and Erik Jones would round out the top 10.

    The No. 2 would bring the field together to begin the final stage with Bowman and Truex in hot pursuit. Matt Kenseth’s car would come to life as the No. 42 would move upward into the top 10. Buescher would spin out on the front stretch to bring out the caution.

    Harvick would win the race off pit road with Keselowski and Truex behind him.

    During the green flag stint, Kyle Busch had issues with his M&M’s Toyota, bringing the car down pit lane, knocking him out of a top 10 spot.

    With 41 laps to go Newman would spin out in Turn 1 to bring out another yellow.

    The No. 4 would continue to hold his ground on the rest of the field and there would be no challenges from the opposition as Harvick would cruise on to win at Darlington.

    Results:

    1. Kevin Harvick
    2. Alex Bowman
    3. Kurt Busch
    4. Chase Elliott
    5. Denny Hamlin
    6. Martin Truex Jr.
    7. Tyler Reddick
    8. Erik Jones
    9. John Hunter Nemechek
    10. Matt Kenseth
    11. Austin Dillon
    12. Aric Almirola
    13. Brad Keselowski
    14. Matt DiBenedetto
    15. Ryan Newman
    16. Ryan Blaney
    17. Clint Bowyer
    18. Joey Logano
    19. Ty Dillon
    20. Ryan Preece
    21. Bubba Wallace
    22. Cole Custer
    23. Michael McDowell
    24. Christopher Bell
    25. Daniel Suarez – one lap down
    26. Kyle Busch – one lap down
    27. Brennan Poole – one lap down
    28. JJ Yeley – two laps down
    29. Reed Sorenson – two laps down
    30. Joey Gase – four laps down
    31. Corey LaJoie – four laps down
    32. Chris Buescher – six laps down
    33. Timmy Hill – seven laps down
    34. Josh Bilicki – seven laps down
    35. William Byron – 14 laps down
    36. Quin Houff – OUT
    37. Garrett Smithley – OUT
    38. Jimmie Johnson – OUT
    39. BJ McLeod – OUT
    40. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – OUT

  • Harvick wins Darlington in NASCAR’s comeback

    Harvick wins Darlington in NASCAR’s comeback

    RAINELLE, WV – Sitting at home to cover a race on television is not the ideal place to be on race day, but one could not fail to realize how important this had become.

    NASCAR was the first major sport to go back live with an event since most everyone was staying home to avoid the Coronavirus. The stands were empty, drivers and crews wore masks, and so did reporters, as few as there was.

    A big audience of viewers saw a good race. It worked! The image of winner Kevin Harvick saying to his crew, “I don’t know what to do,” after winning the Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway and an even starker scene as we saw Harvick alone in victory lane, all alone as the trophy sat on a stand.

    Racing was back! Everyone wore facemasks, but you could tell who was behind the masks. The racing was good between drivers who had not been on a track since early March. It was a joy, and surely the grades will be good on how the sanctioning body handled the event. One had to wonder, though, when on the first lap, Ricky Stenhouse crashed, but all went well.

    As usual, there were mishaps, unusual events that happen at most races but magnified on the first time back after a pandemic. Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson crashed while leading on the final lap of the first stage, a better result than Stenhouse, but not much. A fire broke out on the property that gave us a smoke show, which was surprising because there was no crowd. This is could only happen to NASCAR, but the smoke went harmlessly away.

    To make this safe, there were lots of rules. Teams were required to submit rosters in advance with only 16 members allotted per car. Names were on a list at a checkpoint at the end of a gravel road near the speedway and everyone who passed through had their temperature checked and logged before they could enter. Everyone passed inspection and prepared to race with no practice and no qualifying. The field was determined by a draw. Unusual times for sure.

    Ryan Newman was back for the first time since he suffered a head injury exactly three months ago in a wreck on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Newman missed only three races because of NASCAR’s shutdown and finished 15th in his return. Matt Kenseth was back after replacing Kyle Larson in Chip Ganassi’s No. 42 Chevrolet. He finished in 10th place.

    It all came down to Harvick and Alex Bowman. They battled closely for the first few laps, but The Closer, as Harvick is called, always ran out to multi-second leads. Harvick led 159 laps and Bowman led 41. Brad Keselowski led 80 laps, but he faltered late and finished 13th. Bowman, who signed a one-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports on Saturday, was second. Kurt Busch, winner of the closest finish in Darlington history, was third for Ganassi.

    It was the 50th career victory for Harvick, in a Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing. A previous winner at Darlington, Harvick joins Joey Logano, Bowman, and Denny Hamlin as 2020 winners. Harvick tied Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 12th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list.

    NASCAR’s elite Cup Series next races Wednesday night at Darlington Raceway which is hosting three events in four days before the sport shifts to Charlotte Motor Speedway.

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: California

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: California

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Ryan Blaney: Blaney won Stage 2 and suffered a cut tire late in the final stage, which forced a pit stop and left him with a 19th-place finish.

    “Alex Bowman whipped the field by almost nine seconds,” Blaney said. “So mine wasn’t even the biggest ‘blowout’ of the race.”

    2. Joey Logano: Logano finished 12th in the Auto Club 400 at Fontana.

    “It was cool to see Jimmie Johnson honored with the ‘5-Wide Salute,’” Logano said. “Maybe one day, I can receive that same appreciation. I kind of do now. However, my ‘5-Wide Salute’ is five people standing side-by-side giving me the ‘One-Finger Salute.’”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick came home ninth in a mostly uneventful Auto Club 400. He is fourth in the points standings, 12 out of first.

    “My ‘Kyle Busch Bounty’ really has people talking about the Gander Truck Series,” Harvick said. “And it has people talking more about Kyle Busch, which is actually what I was trying to avoid.”

    4. Alex Bowman: Bowman led 110 laps at Fontana and held off Kyle and Kurt Busch late to ease to victory in the Auto Club 400.

    “I promised a friend I’d get an ’88’ tattoo if I won,” Bowman said. “I’m sure people will have a lot of questions when they see my tattoo, like, ‘Cool, are you’re a Dale, Jr. fan”‘”

    5. Jimmie Johnson: Johnson started second and finished seventh at Fontana.

    “I was honored with a ‘Five-Wide Salute’ during the warmup laps,” Johnson said. I’m really digging this farewell tour. I mean really digging it. It’s quite a turn-on actually. You could say I now have a ‘fete fetish.’”

    6. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished fifth at Fontana, scoring his first top-five result of the season.

    “Good news,” Keselowski said. “NASCAR is transitioning to single lug nut wheels in 2021. In hockey, that would be a ‘one-timer.’ In baseball, it’s a ‘single.’ In basketball, it’s a ‘one-and-done.’”

    7. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started at the back of the field and forged his way forward to finish sixth at Fontana, posting his second top-10 of the season.

    “We started at the back because we pitted to change a shock absorber on the warmup laps,” Hamlin said. “Little did we know that the real shock ‘absorber’ would be Kyle Larson’s rear bumper.”

    8. Chase Elliott: Elliott finished fourth at California, recording his first top-five of the season. He is sixth in the points standings, 17 out of first.

    “I was just named brand ambassador for Hooters Spirits,” Elliott said. “In case you’re wondering, Hooters Spirits is not a haunted Hooter’s restaurant, where the waitresses might say ‘Boo(b)!’ It’s a line of Hooter’s alcoholic beverages. Look for them on shelves. Or better yet, look for them on racks.”

    9. Matt DiBenedetto: DiBenedetto continued his strong start to the season, posting a 13th at Fontana, and is eighth in the points standings.

    “You could say I’m ‘running with the big dogs,’” DiBenedetto said. “And as they say, ‘If you can’t run with the big dogs, stay off the porch.’ Well, I’m a big dog, and I’m gonna stay on that porch, and probably ‘leave my mark.’”

    10. Kyle Busch: Busch finished second in the Auto Club 400, scoring his first top-five result after two lackluster efforts to begin the season.

    “Alex Bowman beat me by almost nine seconds,” Busch said. “In racing, that’s an eternity. So, if you ask how badly I was beaten, I’ll tell you ‘from there to eternity.’

    “As for bounties on me, I say ‘Bring ’em on.’ I don’t mind being the hunted, just as I don’t mind being the bad guy. I’m not here to be liked. You’ve heard of Formula 1, right? Well, for me, it’s not ‘F1,’ it’s ‘F everyone.’”

  • NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas

    NASCAR Top-10 Power Rankings: Las Vegas

    Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.

    1. Joey Logano: Logano took the win in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas, staying on the track during a late caution to secure the win.

    “My crew chief Paul Wolfe said to pit,” Logano said, “but I didn’t hear him, so I stayed out. Now, a lot of people are telling me I should have my ears checked, most notably Kurt Busch’s cosmetic surgeon.”

    2. Ryan Blaney: Blaney seemed headed to victory at Las Vegas before Ross Chastain’s spin brought out the caution with six laps to go. Blaney hit the pits, but Joey Logano stayed out to steal the win. Blaney finished 11th and leads the points standings.

    “I guess we should have stayed out,” Blaney said. “It was a regrettable decision, but we can always learn from our mistakes. As a team, we usually meet and discuss the big mistakes we’ve made. We call it the ‘craps!’ table.”

    3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished eighth at Las Vegas and is third in the Cup series points standings.

    “Compared to Daytona,” Harvick said, “this race was pretty boring. There were no huge crashes, no photo finish, and no President taking a lap. So apparently, what happens in Daytona stays in Daytona.”

    4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Stenhouse finished third in the Pennzoil 400 and is fifth in the Cup points standings.

    “It’s early in the season,” Stenhouse said. “I know because I’m fifth in the points standings.

    “But I believe I can keep it going, because I believe in myself, and unlike Aaron Rodgers, I believe in God. I don’t think Danica Patrick shared my faith. Clearly, she was less in tune with the ‘heavenly father,’ and more in tune with ‘Go Daddy.’”

    5. Kyle Larson: Larson finished ninth in the Pennzoil 400.

    “The members of the 1980 Olympics gold medal-winning hockey team served as grand marshals,” Larson said. “The last time this sport experienced a ‘Miracle On Ice,’ was when Jeremy Mayfield was able to drive while high on meth.”

    6. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished 17th at Las Vegas.

    “It was a tough day for Joe Gibbs Racing,” Hamlin said. “No one finished better than 15th. So, you could say, here in Las Vegas, JGR went ‘bust.’ In other words, it was a case of ‘Toyota-ta‘s.’”

    7. Chase Elliott: Elliott won the first 2 stages at Las Vegas, but suffered a flat tire with 50 laps remaining, which ruined any chance for the win. Elliott eventually finished 26th, one lap down, and is seventh in the points standings.

    “I was dominating the race,” Elliott said. “My chances of winning the race were high, then, ‘Poof!,’ it all came crashing to a halt. It was the epitome of the phrase ‘Odds and ends.’”

    8. Austin Dillon: Dillon finished fourth at Las Vegas after posting a 12th in the Daytona 500. He is sixth in the points standings.

    “Did you see Michael Waltrip in the ‘Between Two Buschs’ segment on Fox’s pre-race coverage?” Dillon said. “Michael looked stoned. If his brother Darrell did the ‘Ickey Shuffle,’ then Michael must be doing the ‘Sticky Ickey Shuffle.’”

    9. Matt DiBenedetto: DiBenedetto took the runner-up spot in Las Vegas in just his second race with Wood Brothers Racing.

    “Obviously,” DiBenedetto said, “staying on the track during that late caution was the right call. And Ryan Blaney and William Byron learned a hard lesson about taking new tires. So, to all those who believe you should always take fresh rubber during a caution, well, they just need to ‘get a grip.’”

    10. Kyle Busch: Busch finished 14th on a tough day for Joe Gibbs Racing, who failed to place a driver in the top 10.

    “I’ve won seven consecutive Truck Series races,” Busch said. “And Kevin Harvick has offered a $50,000 bounty to any full-time Cup driver who beats me in the next four races. Harvick can take that money and shove it, right back into his bank account because no one’s going to claim it.”