Three drivers. When it came to the story of the Pocono race, only three mattered. You probably wanted to know who led the race for the opening few laps, and that would have been Carl Edwards. He finished 15th. For the rest of the way, it was down to two names, right down to the final lap; Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick. No one else much mattered on Sunday.
But this victory was about so much more than mere numbers. Its significance transcends breaking a losing streak, leading the most laps or cementing his standing in the Chase. This was about beating the odds, both professionally and personally.
In a peculiar race at Pocono, filled with shifting and unexpected bumps, here is what else was surprising and not surprising in the 34th annual Axalta We Paint Winners 400.
This week, I’m going with Dale Earnhardt Jr. The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet is coming off a sweep of this track last year, winning both this race and the August race. He was fast in Friday practice, running fourth, and with his Talladega win, he can now afford to gamble a little bit to get a second win this season.
As the laps wound down in the Winstar World Casino and Resort 400(k), it looked as though Daniel Hemric was on course for his second straight top-five finish. However, with seven laps to go, the tire would blow out on his truck, resulting in a spin.
In his first full-time season in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, 19-year-old Tyler Reddick has emerged as one of NASCAR’s rising stars. He captured his second win of the season at Dover International Speedway last Friday and moved into second place in the series point standings, 11 points behind leader Matt Crafton.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. heads to Pocono Raceway with winning on his mind. Last year he swept both Sprint Cup events at the 2.5-mile track, becoming only the seventh driver in track history to accomplish this feat.
Stay in your damn car. Jennifer Jo Cobb did not during Friday’s truck race, leaving the confines of the cab to direct a little displeasure after being wrecked. On Sunday, Trevor Bayne got wrecked and headed onto to the apron to voice his displeasure.
Young’s Motorsports confirmed today that motorsports polymath Brad Perez will drive for the team in Saturday afternoon’s NFPA 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Rising star Luke Baldwin will grab another rung on the NASCAR ladder when he makes his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut on Saturday in the NFPA 250 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
