America has always had those who led them to the promised land. Daniel Boone blazed the Wilderness Road. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark followed the Missouri River enroute to the Pacific. Jim Bridger helped open the way to the wonders of Yellowstone. Kit Carson explored the Rockies. Jimmie Johnson showed the way for Kasey Kahne at Pocono. Five Time dominated the first quarter of the race, at least until he blew a right front and hit the wall hard. Only Johnson can have a great day turn to crap, and still salvage a 13th place finish. He is so good this season that it seems he can not have a totally miserable day like every one else. But enough about Jeff Burton.
As for Kahne, who led at seven different occasions in Pennsylvania on Sunday, putting the pedal to the medal allowed him to power by Jeff Gordon with two to go to lay claim to his second of the season. It was his 16th career Cup victory, leaves him 16 points to the good in the Chase race, and that second win all but gives him a lock on an invite to the party.
Darlington might be known as the track too tough to tame, but Pocono was in a butt kicking mood the entire day. On the first turn of the second lap, Ricky Stenhouse Jr tied Juan on with Mr. Montoya, with a side dish of Matt Kenseth. None finished in the Top Twenty.
Denny Hamlin lost grip on lap 16, and so ended his day. It marked the sixth time in just 17 starts the 33 year old Virginian has wound up outside the Top Thirty. It appeared that with the boyfriend in the garage since the second lap and Danica Patrick running in the Top Twenty that maybe this time it would be a case the lady being first. With sixty to go, she got into a racing deal with Travis Kvapil, collecting Paul Menard and the aforementioned Jeff Burton. She finished 35th, the gent managed to scratch out a 34th, and both wound up just ahead of Burton in the summation. All were more than 20 positions behind Jimmie Johnson, who did I mention had a bad day?
Great day for his team mates, as Team Hendrick picked up 1st, 2nd with Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr was fifth. Kurt Busch led the single car Front Row team to third, as Ryan Newman followed up his Indianapolis win with a fourth at Pocono. He trails Martin Truex Jr by just nine points in the fight for the final wild card berth.
Rating Pocono – 7/10 – Between wrecks and blown tires, this one had more than a few surprise moments. Good insight from the pit road reporters, the expected brutal job by the rest of the ESPN crew, but thanks to my PVR I truly enjoyed the afternoon. It pays to start watching 90 minutes after the green flag waves, only catching up to the live feed with five to go.
Maybe we have finally caught up to a track on which Jimmie Johnson will not win, or even lead the way. He has never won at Watkins Glen, has led just 11 of 990 laps there, yet he has finished among the top dozen in six of the past eight. What a surprise, Johnson can not even suck at a track he supposedly sucks at. Yet, if you are looking for a winner, Marcos Ambrose has won the past two, with Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon having combined for nine of the 14 before that. It might be too late for the Australian to make the Chase, but a win would sure come in handy for the two former champions. Enjoy the week.
