Pocono Race Report

FINAL RESULTS:
1. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
2. Ryan Newman, Dodge
3. Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet
4. Casey Mears, Chevrolet
5. Tony Stewart, Chevrolet
19. Bobby Labonte, #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge
25. Chad McCumbee, #45 Goody’s Cool Orange Dodge

OVERVIEW:

If Mother Nature keeps her pace up, she is a favorite during the ‘Chase for The Nextel Cup’ at the end of the season. Rain, for the fourth consecutive weekend, played havoc on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. This time, however, teams were able to complete the Pocono 500 at the 2.5-mile Pocono (Penn.) Raceway on the day scheduled. Sunday’s Pocono 500 was rain-shortened to 106 laps of the scheduled 200 laps.

The rain came before the start of Sunday’s race, but the showers halted long enough for track officials to dry the track and eventually throw the green flag in the late afternoon. Concerns of rain still loomed, as did time of day and the amount of sunlight available to complete the event. Pocono Raceway is not equipped with lights making strategy a key player in the outcome of Sunday’s race.

It was evident that the race was a dash to the halfway mark, lap 100. Drivers had to put their best efforts forward early. Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart were cruising at the start. Hamlin swept both races in 2006 and looked like a lock for Sunday’s race too. The race came down to pit strategy and rain. Teams knew that rain was coming fast as the race was approaching the 100-lap mark. Gas tanks were running low at the same time. A small group of teams elected to pit early hoping that the rain would come just past half-way. The strategy was a huge gamble, but it paid off for Jeff Gordon who won the race. Ryan Newman finished a close second in a controversial finish. Many believe Newman was in the process of passing Gordon when the caution was put out. In any case, it is Gordon celebrating the win this week. If the race were 15 laps longer the fuel tanks of the top finishers would have run dry and results would be different. Strategy and luck won Sunday’s race.

Bobby Labonte and the #43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge team finished 19th in Sunday’s race. Labonte moved forward early in the race, and after the first pit stop his car was running to the front. Labonte reported that his car was fast, but passing cars was still a tough task. The team, more importantly, were keeping their eyes on the sky. Crew chief Paul Andrews had Labonte in the top 10 when Jimmie Johnson blew a tire as teams were pitting or, as the top five finishers did, already had pitted. It looked like NASCAR would put out the caution allowing Labonte to pit under a caution. It never came, and Labonte and the rest of the teams had to pit for fuel under green. The team then battled back to 19th before the race was called. Labonte is 17th in points, but still only 140 points out of the ‘chase’ qualifying spot.

“It was a better day than what we thought,” said Labonte. “We were fast, but I think some other guys were better too. We were tight, but we were running some of the same speeds as everyone around us. It was a strategy race, but you never know what was going to happen. Hopefully we won’t have to worry about weather in Michigan and can get back to a normal routine.”

Chad McCumbee brought his #45 Goody’s Cool Orange Dodge home in the 25th position in the Pocono 500, his NASCAR Nextel Cup debut. The rain-shortened event cut short McCumbee’s chance to show off a car that was getting better as the race progressed. The 22-year-old was denied a chance to make it a weekend sweep after he took the checkered flag in Saturday’s ARCA RE/MAX event.

While Sunday was a huge learning day for McCumbee, it was also a day where he showed that he can compete on the biggest stage in NASCAR. When the race started it was evident that McCumbee’s Dodge was too tight for the “green” racetrack. A couple of early cautions, however, gave crew chief Billy Wilburn chances to make adjustments. On lap 64, McCumbee radioed that he had a car that he could really “hustle.”

Rain was evident around the track, but McCumbee had to bring his car down pit road for green flag pit stop on lap 93. He was running in the 13th position at the time. Before he had time to slice his was back through the field, Mother Nature had finally ended the day’s event.

“Again I just have to thank everyone from Petty Enterprises for giving me this chance,” sounded McCumbee. “My dream came true today. I got to race in the Nextel Cup Series. I just hate that we didn’t get to run the whole race. I really think we had a car that could have finished in the top-15.”

McCumbee’s finish helped the No. 45 Dodge team gain a spot to 30th in the NASCAR Nextel Cup owner’s standings.

The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series now heads to the two-mile Michigan International Speedway for Sunday’s Michigan 400. The race will be televised live by TNT and broadcast live on MRN Radio.