CP MOTORSPORTS: AXALTA "WE PAINT WINNERS" NOTEBOOK, POCONO NOTEBOOK
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FINAL NOTEBOOK - TRUEX SCORES EMOTIONAL VICTORY
Everyone knew it was coming, they just didn't know where.
Anyone who kept track of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series saw the matte black No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet on top of the leaderboard consistently now can see it in Victory Lane.
Martin Truex, Jr, was able to fend off challenges from NASCAR's big teams to score a victory for the underdog in Sunday's Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 from Pocono Speedway. The victory snaps a 69-race winless drought which dates back to the 2013 season. The win is the third of Truex's career and just the second win for Furniture Row Racing, a single-car team from Denver, Colorado.
While Truex was uncertain of his future following the loss of his ride at Michael Waltrip Racing, longtime girlfriend and cancer survivor Sherry Pollex told him faith would help everything work out for the better.
"I did believe in her, but I just knew it was going to take a lot of work," Truex said. "I knew it was going to be a tough road to get back. I felt at the time - I felt lucky. At the end of the season, I felt really fortunate that there was a great ride open with the 78. They were just coming off their best year ever, and went into last year honestly feeling like, okay, this is going to be good. This might take a little time to get things figured out, but it's going to be good, and we're going to pick up kind of where I left off, and it was just the complete opposite. It was just miserable. Nothing went our way, nothing -- we had no speed. We couldn't make the cars work; they felt terrible to me. They were so inconsistent, you just never knew what you were going to get."
Truex admitted the circumstances surrounding him since the end of the 2013 season made this win the most memorable of his ten-year Sprint Cup career.
"Then Sherry's situation happened, and it was like, all right, this is when you show people what you're made of," Truex added. "She showed me what she was made of, and I was like, wow if she can do that, I can do this. This is easy. Honestly, just learned a lot from her and worked hard, never gave up, believed in myself the whole time, and that's what it takes.
You've got to surround yourself with good people and I'm just thankful for Barney Visser, for Joe Garone and making good decisions over the off-season, giving (crew chief) Cole (Pearn) the reins, and he took it from there, honestly.
"It was definitely the hardest thing I've ever been through, but when you get through something like that, it makes you pretty damned proud of what you've accomplished, and this is easily the biggest win of my career."
Once again, defending Sprint Cup champion Kevin Harvick finished in second place. The runner-up finish marks the tenth time the driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet has finished inside the top two. With his last win coming all the way back in March at Phoenix, the 39-year old Bakersfield, California-native is balancing himself between frustration and greed.
"I think everybody is probably frustrated that we didn't win, but I think it's frustrated in a good way," Harvick admitted. "It's very rare that you can come to the racetrack and be in those positions every week. I think when you look at the -- just like today, we were literally coming to pit road when the caution flag flew and never really made up those 10 spots that we lost, and struggled on the restarts to get going. I think as you look at the situations, I think the second is better than 10th.
"It's a frustration that's good in a way, and you want to be frustrated because we're not winning, but in the end, you also don't want to be greedy, either."
Three-time Pocono winner Jimmie Johnson finished in third place despite cutting a tire on lap 87. While Johnson didn't believe he had the speed to contend for the victory, the race at Pocono spotlighted his team's ability to roll with the punches and keep moving forward.
"Our race ability has been a shining spot for us this year," Johnson explained. "Today we really didn't have pace for the 78 or the 4, so we've got to get to work there. With the damaged car, we ran third, missing half the splitter and the right side knocked in, some hard racing on one of those restarts off Turn 3. To get a good result, we overcame a lot today, having to deal with a flat tire, the damage to the car, and then I got to third. We'll take it. Scrappy day for us, but not the end of the world, either."
Joey Logano was forced to start in the rear of the field after changing a gearbox before the race but managed to snag a fourth-place finish with Kurt Busch rounding out the top five.
Harvick continues to show the way in the Sprint Cup points standings still 39 points ahead of Truex despite his win. Jimmie Johnson remains in a distant third place, 79 points behind Harvick's blistering pace.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Number 14
Unofficial Race Results for the 34Th Annual Axalta We Paint Winners 400
- Sunday, June 7, 2015
Pocono Raceway - Long Pond, PA - 2.5 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 160 Laps - 400 Miles - Purse: $5,084,726
Leader
Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Pts Bns Driver Rating Winnings Status Tms Laps
1 3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 160 48 5 147.0 $201,810 Running 4 97
2 5 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 160 43 1 134.0 $232,850 Running 3 39
3 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet 160 41 109.8 $176,086 Running
4 11 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 160 40 88.7 $166,683 Running
5 1 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 160 39 114.4 $133,050 Running
6 19 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 160 38 97.2 $140,001 Running
7 14 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 160 37 92.7 $124,856 Running
8 15 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 160 36 89.5 $117,723 Running
9 10 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Crispy Toyota 160 35 97.6 $134,456 Running
10 8 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 160 34 96.2 $101,615 Running
11 20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 160 33 109.3 $101,640 Running
12 27 16 Greg Biffle Ortho Ford 160 32 75.5 $116,233 Running
13 12 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Chevrolet 160 32 1 100.0 $97,675 Running 1 2
14 4 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta/Penn State Chevrolet 160 31 1 90.4 $131,986 Running 1 1
15 2 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 160 30 1 103.7 $82,550 Running 2 16
16 18 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 160 28 71.7 $107,283 Running
17 7 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 160 27 88.4 $125,266 Running
18 29 33 Ty Dillon(i) Yuengling Chevrolet 160 0 72.4 $96,778 Running
19 6 3 Austin Dillon Dow Chevrolet 160 26 1 74.5 $117,106 Running 1 5
20 30 51 Justin Allgaier SEM Chevrolet 160 24 62.8 $102,503 Running
21 28 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 160 23 70.1 $106,709 Running
22 23 15 Clint Bowyer Jack Link's/Big Machine Records Toyota 160 22 55.4 $113,303 Running
23 21 55 David Ragan Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota 160 21 60.4 $106,009 Running
24 33 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 160 20 52.2 $119,845 Running
25 32 40 Landon Cassill(i) Interstate Moving Services Chevrolet 160 0 50.2 $78,345 Running
26 34 7 Alex Bowman Accell Construction Chevrolet 160 18 50.8 $89,753 Running
27 35 38 David Gilliland MDS Ford 160 17 46.6 $95,342 Running
28 39 35 Cole Whitt Ford 160 16 43.6 $77,545 Running
29 38 98 Josh Wise Ford 159 15 40.6 $77,395 Running
30 36 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Logistics Ford 158 14 37.2 $79,745 Running
31 16 27 Paul Menard Schrock/Menards Chevrolet 158 13 54.4 $82,095 Running
32 41 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Burger King Toyota 158 12 36.5 $73,920 Running
33 40 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota 158 11 32.0 $73,720 Running
34 31 46 Michael Annett Sherwin Williams Chevrolet 158 10 38.6 $73,520 Running
35 42 32 Travis Kvapil(i) Visone RV Parts Ford 157 0 28.9 $73,370 Running
36 37 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr Pepper/Heinz Toyota 155 0 30.9 $73,120 Running
37 22 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 153 7 62.4 $80,931 Running
38 26 47 AJ Allmendinger Clorox Chevrolet 143 6 56.3 $86,102 Radiator
39 13 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 141 5 68.3 $96,105 Accident
40 43 62 Brendan Gaughan(i) Chevrolet 129 0 24.8 $60,030 Electrical
41 24 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Medallion Bank Ford 120 3 52.7 $82,375 Accident
42 17 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Zest Ford 105 2 56.7 $60,030 Running
43 25 43 Aric Almirola Nathan's Famous Ford 88 1 40.1 $85,466 Engine
Race Comments: Martin Truex Jr. won the Axalta 'We Paint Winners' 400, his third career NASCAR Sprint Series victory. Prior to the start of the race, the following car dropped to the rear of the field for the reason indicated: No. 22 (changing rear gear).
Failed to Qualify: N/A
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 58 Mins, 45 Secs. Average Speed: 134.266 MPH Margin of Victory: 1.346 Seconds
Caution Flags: 8 for 31 laps: Laps: 51-54 (Debris frontstretch [55]); 70-73 (#17 accident turn 2 [43]); 88-92 (Debris turn 2 [51]); 94-96 (#7 spin turn 4 [15]); 122-125 (#9 accident turn 1 [14]); 130-133 (#2, 34 accident turn 1 [40]); 136-139 (#10 accident turn 1 [38]); 142-144 (#31, 47 accident turn 1 [35]).
Lead Changes: 12 among 6 drivers: 0; C. Edwards 1-14; M. Truex Jr. 15-27; C. Edwards 28-29; K. Kahne 30-31; K. Harvick 32-51; M. Truex Jr. 52-69; K. Harvick 70-87; A. Dillon 88-92; J. Gordon 93; M. Truex Jr. 94-132; K. Harvick 133; M. Truex Jr. 134-160.
Chase Grid Outlook: 1.J. Johnson 481 (4 wins);2.K. Harvick 559 (2);3.M. Truex Jr. 520 (1);4.J. Logano 480 (1);5.D. Earnhardt Jr. 465 (1);6.B. Keselowski 441 (1);7.M. Kenseth 415 (1);8.D. Hamlin 379 (1);9.C. Edwards 368 (1);10.J. Mcmurray 427 (0);11.K. Kahne 417 (0);12.J. Gordon 411 (0);13.P. Menard 385 (0);14.A. Almirola 379 (0);15.R. Newman 374 (0);16.C. Bowyer 354 (0).
3M Lap Leader : Kevin Harvick, #4 39 Laps American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award : Martin Truex Jr, #78
Coors Light Pole Award : Kurt Busch, #41 177.599 mph Ingersoll Rand Power Move : Jeff Gordon, #24 6 positions
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race : Hendrick Engines, #4 Mobil 1 Driver of the Race : Kevin Harvick, #4
Moog Steering & Suspension Problem Solver of the Race : Joey Logano, #22 T. Gordon, .412 sec Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap : Kyle Busch, #18
Sunoco Rookie of the Race : Brett Moffitt, #34
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Next Race: Jun. 14, 2015 - Michigan International Speedway
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications @ P.O. Box 2875, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2875
BUSCH WILL START ON POINT AT POCONO - Kurt Busch has a great track record at Pocono.
With a speed of 177.599 mph, Busch won the pole in Friday's Sprint Cup qualifying session; his third pole of the 2015 season. The pole is the 19th of his Sprint Cup career and also marks the 14th time in the last 19 Pocono races in which Busch has qualified in the top-six.
“Wow, what a day, today. I feel like there are six corners out there as hard as I was working; corner entry, corner exit," Busch said. "The car was just off-balance, especially with the new bumps in Turn 2. And then we got way loose. I think we were 30th in practice. And we had to drop back and punt. Daniel Knost, his set-up, is what we reverted to from last year when we qualified outside pole. So, that’s what it’s all about, team communication and working hard together as a group.
"So, that’s to Gene Haas and Tony Stewart and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing to be a pole-sitter today."
Carl Edwards recorded a speed of 177.550 mph putting him alongside Busch on the front row. Martin Truex, Jr, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick also put laps on the books and complete the starting top-five.
Austin Dillon qualified sixth with Brad Keselowski taking the seventh spot.
But the final session of knockout qualifying was anything but smooth. Former Pocono winner Denny Hamlin appeared to lose control of his No. 11 FedEx Toyota and brought out the red flag with 39 seconds remaining. The time wasn't enough for Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, and Joey Logano to put a lap on the books. They will round out the top 12.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr, won both races at Pocono last year but qualified in the 20th position for Sunday's race.
Time Trial Results
Pocono Raceway
34th Annual Axalta We Paint Winners 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, June 05, 2015 @ 06:36 PM Eastern
Driver Date Time Speed
Track Qualifying Record: Kyle Larson 08/03/14 49.0629 183.438
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
Qualifying Round: 3
1 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 50.676 177.599 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 50.690 177.550 1 1 0.014 0.014
3 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 50.698 177.522 1 1 0.022 0.008
4 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta/Penn State Chevrolet 50.787 177.211 1 1 0.111 0.089
5 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 50.790 177.200 1 1 0.114 0.003
6 3 Austin Dillon Dow Chevrolet 50.984 176.526 1 1 0.308 0.194
7 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 51.146 175.967 1 1 0.470 0.162
8 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----
9 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----
10 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Crispy Toyota 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----
11 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----
12 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Chevrolet 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----
Qualifying Round: 2
1 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 50.645 177.708 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 50.654 177.676 1 1 0.009 0.009
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet 50.737 177.385 1 1 0.092 0.083
4 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Crispy Toyota 50.792 177.193 1 1 0.147 0.055
5 3 Austin Dillon Dow Chevrolet 50.904 176.803 1 1 0.259 0.112
6 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 50.905 176.800 1 1 0.260 0.001
7 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 50.912 176.776 1 1 0.267 0.007
8 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 50.996 176.484 1 1 0.351 0.084
9 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta/Penn State Chevrolet 51.006 176.450 1 1 0.361 0.010
10 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 51.055 176.280 1 1 0.410 0.049
11 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Chevrolet 51.116 176.070 1 1 0.471 0.061
12 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 51.124 176.043 1 1 0.479 0.008
13 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 51.126 176.036 1 1 0.481 0.002
14 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 51.135 176.005 1 3 0.490 0.009
15 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 51.153 175.943 1 3 0.508 0.018
16 27 Paul Menard Schrock/Menards Chevrolet 51.167 175.895 3 3 0.522 0.014
17 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Zest Ford 51.224 175.699 1 1 0.579 0.057
18 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 51.232 175.671 1 3 0.587 0.008
19 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 51.273 175.531 1 1 0.628 0.041
20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 51.292 175.466 1 1 0.647 0.019
21 55 David Ragan Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota 51.306 175.418 1 1 0.661 0.014
22 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 51.478 174.832 1 1 0.833 0.172
23 15 Clint Bowyer Jack Link's/Big Machine Records Toyota 51.654 174.236 1 1 1.009 0.176
24 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Medallion Bank Ford 51.778 173.819 1 1 1.133 0.124
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
Qualifying Round: 1
1 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 50.693 177.539 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Crispy Toyota 50.718 177.452 1 1 0.025 0.025
3 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta/Penn State Chevrolet 50.725 177.427 1 1 0.032 0.007
4 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 50.851 176.988 1 1 0.158 0.126
5 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 50.863 176.946 1 1 0.170 0.012
6 3 Austin Dillon Dow Chevrolet 50.872 176.915 1 1 0.179 0.009
7 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 50.873 176.911 1 1 0.180 0.001
8 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 50.950 176.644 1 1 0.257 0.077
9 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet 50.960 176.609 1 1 0.267 0.010
10 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 50.986 176.519 1 1 0.293 0.026
11 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 51.001 176.467 1 1 0.308 0.015
12 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Chevrolet 51.017 176.412 1 1 0.324 0.016
13 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 51.044 176.318 1 1 0.351 0.027
14 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 51.054 176.284 1 1 0.361 0.010
15 27 Paul Menard Schrock/Menards Chevrolet 51.094 176.146 1 1 0.401 0.040
16 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 51.116 176.070 1 1 0.423 0.022
17 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 51.215 175.730 1 1 0.522 0.099
18 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 51.232 175.671 1 1 0.539 0.017
19 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 51.280 175.507 1 1 0.587 0.048
20 55 David Ragan Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota 51.317 175.380 1 1 0.624 0.037
21 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 51.327 175.346 3 3 0.634 0.010
22 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Zest Ford 51.429 174.999 1 1 0.736 0.102
23 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Medallion Bank Ford 51.432 174.988 1 1 0.739 0.003
24 15 Clint Bowyer Jack Link's/Big Machine Records Toyota 51.452 174.920 1 2 0.759 0.020
25 43 Aric Almirola Nathan's Famous Ford 51.490 174.791 1 2 0.797 0.038
26 47 AJ Allmendinger Clorox Chevrolet 51.496 174.771 1 3 0.803 0.006
27 16 Greg Biffle Ortho Ford 51.522 174.683 1 3 0.829 0.026
28 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 51.531 174.652 1 3 0.838 0.009
29 33 Ty Dillon(i) Yuengling Chevrolet 51.630 174.317 1 3 0.937 0.099
30 51 Justin Allgaier SEM Chevrolet 51.715 174.031 3 3 1.022 0.085
31 46 Michael Annett Sherwin Williams Chevrolet 51.762 173.873 1 3 1.069 0.047
32 40 Landon Cassill(i) Interstate Moving Services Chevrolet 51.792 173.772 3 3 1.099 0.030
33 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 51.815 173.695 3 3 1.122 0.023
34 7 Alex Bowman Accell Construction Chevrolet 51.900 173.410 1 1 1.207 0.085
35 38 David Gilliland MDS Ford 52.184 172.467 3 3 1.491 0.284
36 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Logistics Ford 52.193 172.437 1 3 1.500 0.009
37 OP 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr Pepper/Heinz Toyota 52.329 171.989 1 3 1.636 0.136
38 OP 98 Josh Wise Ford 52.360 171.887 1 3 1.667 0.031
39 OP 35 Cole Whitt Ford 52.401 171.752 1 3 1.708 0.041
40 OP 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota 52.748 170.623 1 3 2.055 0.347
41 OP 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Burger King Toyota 53.116 169.440 1 1 2.423 0.368
42 OP 32 Travis Kvapil(i) Visone RV Parts Ford 53.216 169.122 1 3 2.523 0.100
43 OP 62 Brendan Gaughan(i) Chevrolet 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----
(Photo by Sarah Crabill/NASCAR via Getty Images)
JONES ADDS TO STELLAR TEXAS RESUME - Erik Jones makes it look easy most of the time. But at Texas Motor Speedway, Jones makes it look elementary.
The 18-year old Camping World Truck Series regular won another pole at Texas on Friday. His second at Texas this season just in a different series. He won the pole for the Xfinity series' race earlier this year.
Jones, driving the No. 4 Special Olympics World Games Toyota, held an average speed of 181.074 mph around the 1.5-mile paved oval to nab his second pole award of the 2015 CWTS season. If you count his three Xfinity series pole awards, the phenom is up to five.
Two-time defending Series champion Matt Crafton qualified in second-place while Jones' Kyle Busch Motorsports teammate Daniel Suarez will start in third-place. Johnny Sauter and John Wes Townley round out the race's top-five starters.
Time Trial Results
Texas Motor Speedway
19th Annual WinStar World Casino & Resort 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, June 05, 2015 @ 06:15 PM Central
Driver Date Time Speed
Track Qualifying Record: Clint Bowyer 11/03/06 29.274 184.464
Pos Trk Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
Qualifying Round: 3
1 4 Erik Jones # Special Olympics World Games Toyota 29.822 181.074 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 88 Matt Crafton Ideal Door/Menards Toyota 29.937 180.379 1 1 0.115 0.115
3 51 Daniel Suarez(i) ARRIS Toyota 30.019 179.886 1 1 0.197 0.082
4 98 Johnny Sauter Nextant/Curb Records Toyota 30.091 179.456 1 1 0.269 0.072
5 05 John Wes Townley Zaxby's Chevrolet 30.153 179.087 1 1 0.331 0.062
6 29 Austin Theriault # Cooper Standard Ford 30.201 178.802 1 1 0.379 0.048
7 17 Timothy Peters Red Horse Racing Toyota 30.214 178.725 1 1 0.392 0.013
8 13 Cameron Hayley # Cabinets by Hayley Toyota 30.295 178.247 1 1 0.473 0.081
9 14 Daniel Hemric # California Clean Power Chevrolet 30.332 178.030 1 1 0.510 0.037
10 8 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 30.435 177.427 1 1 0.613 0.103
11 54 Justin Boston # ROKMobile.com Toyota 30.543 176.800 1 1 0.721 0.108
12 11 Ben Kennedy Local Motors Toyota 30.823 175.194 1 1 1.001 0.280
Qualifying Round: 2
1 05 John Wes Townley Zaxby's Chevrolet 29.909 180.548 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 51 Daniel Suarez(i) ARRIS Toyota 29.926 180.445 1 1 0.017 0.017
3 14 Daniel Hemric # California Clean Power Chevrolet 30.011 179.934 1 1 0.102 0.085
4 4 Erik Jones # Special Olympics World Games Toyota 30.054 179.677 1 1 0.145 0.043
5 88 Matt Crafton Ideal Door/Menards Toyota 30.096 179.426 1 1 0.187 0.042
6 17 Timothy Peters Red Horse Racing Toyota 30.110 179.342 1 1 0.201 0.014
7 98 Johnny Sauter Nextant/Curb Records Toyota 30.125 179.253 1 1 0.216 0.015
8 29 Austin Theriault # Cooper Standard Ford 30.223 178.672 1 1 0.314 0.098
9 13 Cameron Hayley # Cabinets by Hayley Toyota 30.227 178.648 1 2 0.318 0.004
10 54 Justin Boston # ROKMobile.com Toyota 30.229 178.636 1 2 0.320 0.002
11 11 Ben Kennedy Local Motors Toyota 30.232 178.619 1 2 0.323 0.003
12 8 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 30.268 178.406 1 1 0.359 0.036
13 23 Spencer Gallagher # Allegiant Travel Chevrolet 30.288 178.288 1 2 0.379 0.020
14 33 Brandon Jones # Century A/C Supply Chevrolet 30.332 178.030 1 2 0.423 0.044
15 15 Mason Mingus Texas 811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet 30.399 177.637 1 2 0.490 0.067
16 19 Tyler Reddick Bulldog Ford 30.409 177.579 1 2 0.500 0.010
17 63 Tyler Tanner Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool/Ski Soda Chevrolet 30.455 177.311 1 1 0.546 0.046
18 07 Ray Black Jr. # ScubaLife.com Chevrolet 30.506 177.014 1 1 0.597 0.051
19 02 Tyler Young Randco Industries/Young's Building Supplies 30.633 176.280 1 4 0.724 0.127
20 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Grimes Irrigation & Construction Chevrolet 31.160 173.299 1 1 1.251 0.527
21 08 Korbin Forrister # Tilted Kilt Chevrolet 31.185 173.160 1 2 1.276 0.025
22 1 Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 31.712 170.283 1 1 1.803 0.527
23 36 Justin Jennings Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool/Ski Soda Chevrolet 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----
24 94 Timmy Hill Chevrolet 0.000 0.000 0 0 ----- -----
Pos Trk Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
Qualifying Round: 1
1 19 Tyler Reddick Bulldog Ford 29.815 181.117 1 1 0.000 0.000
2 13 Cameron Hayley # Cabinets by Hayley Toyota 29.977 180.138 1 1 0.162 0.162
3 4 Erik Jones # Special Olympics World Games Toyota 29.984 180.096 1 1 0.169 0.007
4 23 Spencer Gallagher # Allegiant Travel Chevrolet 29.990 180.060 1 1 0.175 0.006
5 11 Ben Kennedy Local Motors Toyota 30.014 179.916 1 1 0.199 0.024
6 14 Daniel Hemric # California Clean Power Chevrolet 30.072 179.569 1 1 0.257 0.058
7 29 Austin Theriault # Cooper Standard Ford 30.079 179.527 1 1 0.264 0.007
8 17 Timothy Peters Red Horse Racing Toyota 30.112 179.330 1 1 0.297 0.033
9 51 Daniel Suarez(i) ARRIS Toyota 30.126 179.247 1 1 0.311 0.014
10 15 Mason Mingus Texas 811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet 30.215 178.719 1 1 0.400 0.089
11 33 Brandon Jones # Century A/C Supply Chevrolet 30.235 178.601 1 1 0.420 0.020
12 8 Joe Nemechek Chevrolet 30.236 178.595 1 1 0.421 0.001
13 63 Tyler Tanner Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool/Ski Soda Chevrolet 30.404 177.608 1 1 0.589 0.168
14 02 Tyler Young Randco Industries/Young's Building Supplies 30.449 177.346 2 2 0.634 0.045
15 88 Matt Crafton Ideal Door/Menards Toyota 30.500 177.049 3 3 0.685 0.051
16 98 Johnny Sauter Nextant/Curb Records Toyota 30.505 177.020 1 1 0.690 0.005
17 07 Ray Black Jr. # ScubaLife.com Chevrolet 30.542 176.806 2 2 0.727 0.037
18 05 John Wes Townley Zaxby's Chevrolet 30.558 176.713 1 1 0.743 0.016
19 54 Justin Boston # ROKMobile.com Toyota 30.814 175.245 1 1 0.999 0.256
20 10 Jennifer Jo Cobb Grimes Irrigation & Construction Chevrolet 30.958 174.430 2 2 1.143 0.144
21 08 Korbin Forrister # Tilted Kilt Chevrolet 30.960 174.419 2 2 1.145 0.002
22 1 Ryan Ellis Chevrolet 31.213 173.005 2 2 1.398 0.253
23 36 Justin Jennings Mittler Bros. Machine & Tool/Ski Soda Chevrolet 31.376 172.106 2 2 1.561 0.163
24 94 Timmy Hill Chevrolet 31.411 171.914 3 3 1.596 0.035
25 74 Jordan Anderson Knight Fire Protection Chevrolet 31.441 171.750 1 2 1.626 0.030
26 45 BJ McLeod Tilted Kilt Chevrolet 32.153 167.947 1 1 2.338 0.712
27 6 Norm Benning Boedeker Construction Chevrolet 33.058 163.349 2 2 3.243 0.905
28 OP 0 Adam Edwards Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet 33.846 159.546 2 2 4.031 0.788
29 OP 50 Donnie Neuenberger BurnieGrill.com Chevrolet 34.204 157.876 3 3 4.389 0.358
30 03 Michael Affarano(i) Chevrolet 36.595 147.561 1 2 6.780 2.391
HARVICK PACES FIRST PRACTICE - You may have read this before, Kevin Harvick was the fastest car on the track.
This was the case once again during Friday's Sprint Cup practice session. Harvick, driving the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet, laid down a fast lap of 50.867 seconds at 176.932 mph. Harvick was the runner-up the last time the Sprint Cup series took to the track at Pocono.
Kyle Busch continued his surging return, recording the second fastest time in the practice session at 176.772 mph. Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards put a lap of 50.929 seconds at an average speed of 176.717 mph which was the session's third fastest time.
Dale Earnhardt, Jr, who pulled off the Pocono sweep last season was the fourth fastest driver with Austin Dillon rounding out the top-five.
NSCS Practice 1
Pocono Raceway
34th Annual Axalta We Paint Winners 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, June 05, 2015 @ 01:29 PM Eastern
Pos Car Driver Team Time Speed Lap # # Laps -Fastest -Next
1 4 Kevin Harvick Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet 50.867 176.932 17 17 ---.--- ---.---
2 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Crispy Toyota 50.913 176.772 13 13 -0.046 -0.046
3 19 Carl Edwards ARRIS Toyota 50.929 176.717 8 12 -0.062 -0.016
4 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Nationwide Chevrolet 50.973 176.564 9 13 -0.106 -0.044
5 3 Austin Dillon Dow Chevrolet 50.974 176.561 12 12 -0.107 -0.001
6 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Ground Toyota 50.978 176.547 10 10 -0.111 -0.004
7 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Ford 50.989 176.509 17 17 -0.122 -0.011
8 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet 51.031 176.363 9 9 -0.164 -0.042
9 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet 51.038 176.339 11 11 -0.171 -0.007
10 24 Jeff Gordon Axalta/Penn State Chevrolet 51.048 176.305 17 17 -0.181 -0.010
11 1 Jamie McMurray Cessna Chevrolet 51.056 176.277 13 13 -0.189 -0.008
12 31 Ryan Newman Grainger Chevrolet 51.083 176.184 11 11 -0.216 -0.027
13 42 Kyle Larson Target Chevrolet 51.165 175.901 13 13 -0.298 -0.082
14 13 Casey Mears GEICO Chevrolet 51.274 175.528 10 12 -0.407 -0.109
15 22 Joey Logano Shell Pennzoil Ford 51.357 175.244 13 13 -0.490 -0.083
16 47 AJ Allmendinger Clorox Chevrolet 51.395 175.114 6 8 -0.528 -0.038
17 20 Matt Kenseth Dollar General Toyota 51.416 175.043 7 9 -0.549 -0.021
18 16 Greg Biffle Ortho Ford 51.422 175.022 13 13 -0.555 -0.006
19 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Chevrolet 51.428 175.002 10 10 -0.561 -0.006
20 27 Paul Menard Schrock/Menards Chevrolet 51.531 174.652 9 9 -0.664 -0.103
21 41 Kurt Busch Haas Automation Chevrolet 51.578 174.493 11 11 -0.711 -0.047
22 55 David Ragan Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota 51.585 174.469 14 14 -0.718 -0.007
23 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy Chevrolet 51.597 174.429 15 15 -0.730 -0.012
24 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Zest Ford 51.647 174.260 11 11 -0.780 -0.050
25 15 Clint Bowyer Jack Link's/Big Machine Records Toyota 51.666 174.196 10 10 -0.799 -0.019
26 43 Aric Almirola Nathan's Famous Ford 51.684 174.135 8 9 -0.817 -0.018
27 9 Sam Hornish Jr. Medallion Bank Ford 51.792 173.772 12 12 -0.925 -0.108
28 33 Ty Dillon(i) Yuengling Chevrolet 51.912 173.370 18 18 -1.045 -0.120
29 14 Tony Stewart Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet 51.914 173.364 14 15 -1.047 -0.002
30 46 Michael Annett Sherwin Williams Chevrolet 51.929 173.314 17 17 -1.062 -0.015
31 51 Justin Allgaier SEM Chevrolet 51.971 173.174 14 16 -1.104 -0.042
32 7 Alex Bowman Accell Construction Chevrolet 52.071 172.841 13 13 -1.204 -0.100
33 38 David Gilliland MDS Ford 52.134 172.632 10 12 -1.267 -0.063
34 98 Josh Wise Ford 52.170 172.513 7 7 -1.303 -0.036
35 6 Trevor Bayne AdvoCare Ford 52.279 172.153 21 21 -1.412 -0.109
36 34 Brett Moffitt # Dockside Logistics Ford 52.311 172.048 17 17 -1.444 -0.032
37 40 Landon Cassill(i) Interstate Moving Services Chevrolet 52.520 171.363 13 13 -1.653 -0.209
38 83 Matt DiBenedetto # Burger King Toyota 52.805 170.438 16 16 -1.938 -0.285
39 26 Jeb Burton # Maxim Fantasy Sports Toyota 52.838 170.332 16 16 -1.971 -0.033
40 32 Travis Kvapil(i) Visone RV Parts Ford 52.919 170.071 15 15 -2.052 -0.081
41 35 Cole Whitt Ford 52.943 169.994 10 10 -2.076 -0.024
42 23 JJ Yeley(i) Dr Pepper/Heinz Toyota 53.392 168.565 11 13 -2.525 -0.449
43 62 Brendan Gaughan(i) Chevrolet 54.759 164.357 1 3 -3.892 -1.367
Best 10 Consecutive Lap Average
* No driver ran 10 consecutive laps during this practice.
*Required to qualify on time, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
TRUEX TAKING TO TRIANGLE WITH NEW CAR - Martin Truex, Jr, has been one of the Sprint Cup series' hottest drivers lately. He has led the most laps in three consecutive points-paying races.
But with no wins to show for the success, Furniture Row Racing is sending a new chassis to Pennsylvania's "Tricky Triangle". Truex, who led only one lap in his debut season with Furniture Row Racing in 2014, has already led 389 in 2015.
Truex is currently second in the drivers points standings despite not having a win. His consistency has him ahead of four-time 2015 race winner Jimmie Johnson. Truex knows it's a team effort to produce consistently.
“It’s been a team effort all around,” Truex said. “From our crew chief Cole Pearn, to his engineering staff to the road crew and to all the guys back at the Denver shop. They keep bringing me fast race cars week in and week out and that’s why we’ve been on a competitive roll.”
Truex, who has six top-ten finishes at Pocono, hopes to continue his 2015 momentum but understands the three-turn racetrack brings challenges which other tracks on the series schedule cannot present.
“We have run well at all different types of tracks this year and hopefully we can continue that momentum in Pocono,” Truex said. “They call Pocono the tricky triangle and that's exactly what it is - tricky. If there were a track you would change the track bar setting on every turn it would most likely be at Pocono.
“The hardest thing about Pocono is the tunnel turn, which is a very sharp and flat corner. The racetrack is narrow and when you're coming down that Long Pond straightaway you're looking straight at the wall going the other way and you're running 200 miles per hour and there's not a lot of banking. It's just an intimidating turn."
