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[/media-credit]Under stormy skies that unfortunately ultimately proved fatal for one race fan, here is what was surprising and not so surprising from the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway.
Surprising: It was surprising just how quickly the NASCAR family came together after several fans were struck by lightning at the track and one was killed. Pocono Raceway has established the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund to benefit the victims of the lightning strike.
Donations are being accepted at any PNC branch or by mailing checks or money order to the Pennsylvania 400 Memorial Fund, Pocono Raceway, 1234 Long Pond Road, Long Pond, PA 18334.
Not Surprising: After a weekend of Heisman honors and birthday celebrations, the winner of the Pennsylvania 400 had just one thought on his mind.
Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, was grateful to have his family with him to celebrate his first victory of the season.
“Today was an amazing victory experience, probably one of the best in my career because with the rain, the lightning, wind blowing sideways, everything going on, you know; I was just so excited to be able to have my family here,” Jeff Gordon said. “It’s the first time I’ve had all of them here for a victory.”
“I didn’t care if it was under the shed or in the garage,” Gordon continued. “Even my wife, she’s not been able to experience all those wins. I want her to feel what it’s like.”
“Ella is getting to the age where it’s exciting,” Gordon said. “Leo was able to hold up his finger, No. 1, so that was cool.”
“This is one that I’m not going to forget.”
Surprising: It was surprising how verbose and a bit resigned Kyle Busch was after having yet another tough day at the track. The driver of the No. 18 M&Ms Toyota finished a miserable 33rd and fell out of Chase contention, losing four spots to 15th place in the points.
“We just blew out the rear brake rotors – disintegrated it and then blew out the rear caliper after that,” Busch said. “Getting down into Turn One with a three-wheel brake is about the worst situation you can have as a race car driver.”
“I just hate it for all of these guys,” Busch continued. “We had a really fast race car today.”
“It’s just the way it seems to be, but the way our year has gone,” Busch said. “It’s just inevitable to have something every week happen.”
“We hoped we had shaken it but obviously it’s not to be.”
Not Surprising: Big brother Kurt Busch had absolutely nothing to say after his check in at the infield care center post hitting the wall hard at Pocono Raceway on Lap 86.
The driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Services Chevrolet finished 30th. Kurt Busch is now 25th in the point standings.
Surprising: The driver who never seems to stop improving, just like his sponsor, had an uncharacteristic moment that changed the course of the race at Pocono.
Jimmie Johnson, behind the wheel of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, was leading the race when he tangled with competitor Matt Kenseth, taking out the leaders of the pack and allowing teammate Jeff Gordon to drive through for the win.
“I thought it was just junk on my tires,” Johnson said. “And when I got into Turn 1, I realized quickly that it was a flat and it wasn’t trash on my tires.”
“I don’t think he had a flat, did he?,” Kenseth said of Johnson. “We went off into Turn 1 and I could hear his pipes (roaring). I’m not sure he has lifted yet.”
“He just drove in really, really, really, really far and spun out underneath me and I got wrecked.”
Johnson came in 14th while Kenseth finished 23rd in his No. 17 Zest Ford.
Not Surprising: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the No. 56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing continued his quiet ascension up the Chase standings, up two positions to the fifth spot. Truex Jr., from nearby New Jersey, finished 3rd at Pocono.
“We had a pretty good car all weekend long,” Truex Jr. said. “We were really fast at the end.”
“I’m proud of the team for what we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished,” Truex Jr. continued. “To be where we’re at; this is a big deal for us.”
Surprising: At a track he has so often mastered and one where he just announced his impending fatherhood, Denny Hamlin had a surprisingly terrible finish at Pocono.
The driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry struggled all day and was caught up in the late race accident with Johnson and Kenseth to finish 29th.
Hamlin also spent some extended time in the infield care center receiving medical evaluation because of stomach pain. He was treated and eventually released.
“The leaders got in trouble and next thing you know, one of the cars slid right in front of me and that was about the end of it,” Hamlin said. “We weren’t going to win anyway and at this point, all we’re racing for is wins.”
“I had some pains in my stomach, but they’ve subsided.”
Not Surprising: The impending storm off the track was Kasey Kahne’s friend on the track as he finished second even with a flat tire and a stormy pit stop, where he ran over his air hose and lost precious time in his stall.
“I felt good about where we were,” Kahne said. “I am a little upset with myself and the way I ran the race, but we definitely had a great Farmers Insurance Chevrolet and ended up with a great result.”
Surprising: Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who looked so strong at the start of the race, even taking the lead early, had surprising transmission problems that ended his consecutive laps run streak for the season.
Even with that 32nd place finish, however, Junior was surprisingly able to hang on to the points lead due to Kenseth’s wreck at the end of the race. He is now just 5 points ahead on the Chase leader board.
“We don’t ever break parts,” the driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet said. “It’s tough.”
“We had a good run going and I’m sorry for all the guys in the shop.”
Not Surprising: The Stewart Haas Racing duo of Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman had a good day at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.
“I’m really proud of Steve Addington (crew chief) and these guys,” the driver of the No. 14 Office Depot Back to School Chevrolet said. “We didn’t necessarily throw a Hail Mary at it, but we kind of went back to where we started and worked from that.”
“I’m really proud of Steve for finding the package that we ran.”
“A good solid day,” the driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation/Quicken Loans Chevrolet, said. “We needed that.”
“And another top-10.”
Surprising: Regan Smith, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row/Farm American Chevrolet, who has had a rough 2012, had a surprisingly good run at Pocono, finishing ninth. This was his first top-10 finish in quite a while at the track.
“We had a good car this weekend and it got even better as the race went on,” Smith said. “It’s a great feeling in our Furniture Row camp to have the kind of performances we’ve had the last two weekends.”
“We’re moving along with plenty of enthusiasm right now and feel that we’re in the process of turning things around.”
Not Surprising: While Martin Truex Jr. had a great run at Pocono, so too did the rest of the Michael Waltrip Racing team.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota Camry and star of the Pocono tweet-up, finished 8th, and teammate Mark Martin, in the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota, finished 12th.
“We’ll take it,” Bowyer said.
“We had a fast car,” Martin said. “A 12th place finish isn’t too bad.”
