FOLLOWING POCONO 'BIG MOMENT,' BUESCHER STEADIES CHASE FOCUS

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Chris Buescher has seemingly embraced the spoiler role of his upset victory last weekend at Pocono Raceway, saying he's "throwing a wrench at a lot of people's brackets" in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoffs.

In the five remaining races that will determine the 16-driver postseason field, though, the 23-year-old rookie has work to do -- namely making up the six-point deficit to reach the required top-30 threshold in the series standings. Before Friday's on-track activity at Watkins Glen International, Buescher said he was confident that he and his Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford team could cross the points portion off the checklist.

"They are hustling and working extremely hard to make sure we make this Chase," Buescher said about his team's efforts to make the tight turn from weather-delayed Pocono to Watkins Glen ahead of Sunday's Cheez-It 355 at the Glen (2:30 p.m. ET, USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). "We are going to get there. I have a ton of confidence in these guys. I love where our program was heading previous to Pocono. We have been on the right path and we will make up those points."

Buescher, last year's XFINITY Series champion, said he hasn't had much chance to celebrate last Monday's surprise win in the Pennsylvania 400, saying that the short week between Pocono and Watkins Glen was consumed by road-racing practice in Utah on Tuesday and making the media rounds with a full schedule of phone interviews the last two days.

"It is a really good problem to have," Buescher said. "I killed my phone battery twice in one day, which is a new record for me. It has been wild how everything has played out and I haven't had time for it to settle in and feel like we won a race. It has been so crazy."

Though Buescher's performance has lagged behind fellow first-year drivers Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney this season, his Pocono breakthrough has given him a feather in his cap that his fellow rookies can't claim on their portfolios. His first victory came in his 27th Sprint Cup start, making him the first rookie winner since Joey Logano converted the feat in 2009.

Buescher's first full season in NASCAR's premier series coincides with the first year of a technical alliance between Roush Fenway Racing and the Bob Jenkins-owned Front Row organization, a partnership that he hopes pays dividends in the push to the playoffs. In the meantime, the momentum from a maiden trip to Victory Lane can't hurt.

"It is just a matter of getting the team jacked up and everybody on the same idea going forward that this is for real, a big moment," Buescher said. "This win with the Chase being the way it is and the point system different from last year in XFINITY, a win basically turns our whole season around. It changes everything. It is no longer one win and you move up a spot or two in points. It is one win and you potentially have a spot in the playoffs of our sport.

"We are not there yet because we have to get into that top 30, but with that win it gets everybody excited to get to that point."

Rookies make NASCAR history with weekend sweep of national series

If it wasn’t for quite a bit of fog, last weekend’s slate of NASCAR action likely wouldn’t have been that different from many race weekends the last two decades.

Fog forced NASCAR to halt the Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway 22 laps from its scheduled distance, giving the win to Chris Buescher, one of the Rookie of the Year contenders. That sealed a milestone that had never been accomplished since the Camping World Truck Series debuted in 1995.

Buescher’s win meant Rookie of the Year contenders in all three national series – Sprint Cup, Xfinity and the Camping World Truck Series – swept the weekend.

The feat was started by William Byron, who won in the Truck series. It was his fifth win of the year, which set a Truck series record for rookies. Later Saturday night, Erik Jones led 154 laps at Iowa Speedway en route to winning his third race of the year.

Then Buescher’s team gambled on Monday during pit stops, putting his No. 34 Ford out front just in time for fog to cover all of Turn 1.

Buescher was the first rookie contender to win a Sprint Cup race since Joey Logano did at New Hampshire in 2009. Before that it had only been four times since 2005: Kyle Busch at Phoenix (2005), Denny Hamlin in Pocono I and II (2006) and Juan Pablo Montoya at Sonoma (2007).

Buescher’s win was also his first Sprint Cup top-10 finish, which came a week after his career-best finish of 14th at Indianapolis. The Prosper, Texas, native is one of just five drivers to have earned their first top 10 via a win.

Before him it was Trevor Bayne (2011), Brad Keselowski (2009), Jamie McMurray (2002) and Mark Donohue (1973).

BYRON WINS AT POCONO FOR FIFTH VICTORY OF 2016

William Byron won his fifth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race of the season, this time taking the checkered flag in the Pocono Mountains 150 at Pocono Raceway on Saturday.

The 18-year-old Kyle Busch Motorsports driver led a race-high 44 laps and set a record for the most wins by a rookie in the Camping World Truck Series.

Cameron Hayley came in second in the No. 13 Toyota.

Brett Moffitt in the No. 11 Toyota finished third, while Timothy Peters in the No. 17 Toytota and Cole Custer in the No. 00 Chevrolet rounded out the top five.

The 60-lap race was beset by a bevy of spinning trucks and wrecks, as the caution flag flew nine times; the race did not run more than eight laps at a time without a caution.

The Camping World Truck Series is off for two weeks before returning to the track at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 17 for the UNOH 200 (8:30 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, Sirius XM).

This story will be updated.

ALMIROLA REFLECTS ON CAREER, HERITAGE AS HE MAKES 200TH START

Aric Almirola insists he was absolutely prepared to climb into his No. 43 Smithfield Ford this Sunday for the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway completely focused on nothing other than scoring a victory and working toward earning a position in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

But his public relations team brought up an important milestone that even he conceded was definitely worth noting, if not celebrating. This Sunday's race marks the 32-year old Almirola's 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start -- a significant measure of his staying power and a testament to how far he's come. Literally.

He is the son of a Cuban immigrant on his dad's side of the family and the grandson of one of Florida's most celebrated and accomplished racers -- Sam Rodriguez -- on his mom's side. That has created a unique background dynamic that gives Almirola motivation and pride. And makes this weekend a heartfelt measure of success.

"I think here I am and my dad came over from Cuba and 50 years later I'm making my 200th start in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Richard Petty," Almirola said. "It's so crazy to me, what living in this country affords you and allows you to be able to do, and my grandparents made that decision to come over here and take this chance."

The sheer number of starts represents a mark of opportunity for Almirola. Making it into NASCAR's big league was always the harder path, the road less travelled.

But he has made it. And that's only the beginning.

"I don't think anybody dreams about running two hundred races, they dream about 'a' race," Almirola said. "So as a kid I dreamed about driving 'a' Cup car, running 'a' race. So, now the fact I've had the opportunity to do it two hundred times, when you realize that, and the marketing department brings to your attention that, 'Hey, Pocono is going to be your 200th start,' it really makes you kind of reflect on everything that's led up to this.

"From being a kid racing go-karts all the way up to all the opportunities I've had. I realize by reflecting on all that stuff how fortunate and blessed I am."

The thing is, Almirola could have just as easily been a star baseball player as a winning NASCAR driver.

His native city of Tampa, Florida is a ballplayer's town. It produced Wade Boggs and Lou Piniella. Both Dwight Gooden and Gary Sheffield graduated from Almirola's Hillsborough High School.

A calendar year in this part of the country has traditionally been delineated by baseball and football seasons. That just makes Almirola's success climbing the NASCAR ranks even more impressive.

"I was in somewhat of a hot bed there for athletes," Almirola said smiling. "But I had a really strong passion for racing and I know that made me somewhat of an outsider at school growing up. When friends would ask, 'Hey what are you doing this weekend?' I'd say, I was going racing.

"That kind of separated me from a lot of kids at school -- not in a bad way, I wasn't an outcast in a negative way, but I didn't have as close a relationship with kids at school because I didn't go parties at their house Friday night after football games. I was always working on my race cars or go-karts and racing on the weekends.

"I wasn't looking for something to do on the weekend. I already had it."

"I was always going to be a NASCAR guy. My grandfather raced sprint cars, so obviously the open wheel path was there, too. He'd race at East Bay every Saturday night and occasionally travel around the country going to races. But every Sunday it was normal, to get up, eat breakfast, hang around the house and then watch the Cup race. That was routine around my parents and my grandparents. We love NASCAR."

The result for Almirola has been a starring role driving his sport's most iconic car -- the No. 43 -- for the sport's biggest legend, Petty.

NASCAR's crown jewel, Daytona International Speedway, is also Almirola's "home track" and fittingly the venue he won his first Sprint Cup Series race in 2014, the Coke Zero 400 -- exactly 30 years after his boss Petty scored his historic 200th victory at the track.

Consider this: Petty's win total would be equivalent to Almirola winning every start he's made.

RELATED: Almirola's Darlington scheme honors Petty | Darlington schemes

Though that remains the only Cup victory so far for Almirola, it was enough to propel him into the 2014 Chase and make him only more eager to return. His team's best finish this year is a 12th-place in the season-opening Daytona 500. He's had four top-15 showings -- three in the season's opening four races. He ranks 25th in points entering Pocono, hopeful to score a win in one of the remaining six races to set the 16-driver Chase field.

"I think the reality is we have struggled this season and you can tell by watching the race and looking at our results," Almirola said. "This year has been a struggle and we can't really put our finger on what's wrong. People often ask what's wrong and it sounds like a smart-aleck answer, but if I knew, we'd fix it.

"There are a couple places looking ahead that have been strong for us. Bristol comes to top of mind. We had a chance to win there a couple years ago battling with Carl Edwards. And then there's (regular season finale) Richmond. Last year we went there kinda do or die to make the Chase and finished fourth, but had a really strong car and a legitimate chance to win that race, too. Those are kind of top of mind to me where we might go in and get a win."

Listening to Almirola reflect on his first 200 races, there is both a fond memory of what it took to get to this point and a distinct urgency in his voice to succeed in a way worthy of the hard work already put in.

"Making my 200th start really forces me to reflect and when I do that and think about doing it for Richard Petty, who is very much an American icon. And I can't help but reflect on my family, which has done so much and sacrificed so much to get me where I'm at," Almirola said.

"It really is amazing."

Kurt Busch seeks NASCAR record this weekend at Pocono

Kurt Busch seeks to do something this weekend that hasn’t been done in NASCAR.

Run every lap for the most consecutive races to start a season.

Busch enters Sunday’s race at Pocono Raceway on NBCSN having completed all 5,673 laps in the first 20 races. No driver has completed every lap through the the first 21 Cup races in a season.

Busch tied Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the record this past weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Busch completed every lap on the way to finishing 16th.

Earnhardt set the mark in 2012 by completing every lap in the first 20 races of the season. In the 21st race, which was at Pocono, Earnhardt fell 18 laps short of the distance in the rain-shortened race.

Busch heads to Pocono having won the June race there. In this race a year ago, he finished 37th after he was involved in an accident, He finished 10 laps behind the leaders.

Busch’s consistency this season has led to 15 top-10 finishes, second only to Stewart-Haas Racing teammate Kevin Harvick, who has 16.

Drivers who have run the most laps in Cup this season:

100% — Kurt Busch (5,673 laps)

99.86 — Brad Keselowski (5,665)

99.67 — Trevor Bayne (5,654)

99.38 — Martin Truex Jr. (5,638)

98.71 — Kevin Harvick (5,600)

98.55 — Jamie McMurray (5,591)

98.20 — Austin Dillon (5,571)

97.76 — Landon Cassill (5,546)

97.76 — Matt Kenseth (5,546)

97.48 — Carl Edwards (5,530)

GORDON GETS COMFORTABLE, KEEPS EXPECTATIONS 'REALISTIC'

SPEEDWAY, Ind. -- Jeff Gordon was all smiles walking on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's pit road following qualifying for Sunday's Brickyard 400. The crowd cheered its approval of his 21st-place qualifying effort. Mostly they were happy for the opportunity to see the four-time NASCAR champion at work again.

Gordon advanced to the second round of qualifying driving Dale Earnhardt Jr. 's No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet. And the five-time Indy winner will start his final race here from the 11th row filling in for Earnhardt, who is recovering from concussion-like symptoms.

"I felt really comfortable right there," said Gordon, 44, who was asked by team owner Rick Hendrick to come out of retirement and take the wheel for Earnhardt at Indy and at Pocono Raceway next week.

"I feel like today I am much calmer than I was yesterday," Gordon said. "Usually my heart's beating more for qualifying than for practice, but that wasn't the case today.

"So today, I feel more relaxed and comfortable in the car and I hope to feel the same way tomorrow. Tomorrow's challenge is going to be being around traffic and trying to get the balance of the car right and do that when you're by yourself as well as around other cars."

Gordon hasn't driven a Sprint Cup Series car since retiring at the end of the 2015 season and only had a pair of practice sessions Friday to prepare for qualifying and the race.

The team used his old seat and steering wheel in the car and Gordon only arrived from a family vacation in France mid-week.

"For the most part, all the work is done," Gordon said. "We did our practice yesterday, we did our de-brief with drivers and crew chiefs last night and we qualified today.

"Every time we're on track we're gathering information and learning. We'll continue to talk about it, but that's about all we can do moving forward. Those guys will be working hard on pit strategy for the race. But for the most part, the work is done for me other than thinking of some things I could tell Greg.

"The work all begins when the green flag drops."

While this will be the first time in Gordon's celebrated career he won't be steering the No. 24 Chevrolet for Hendrick, there was an unmistakable sense of excitement about the weekend's opportunity.

In what was originally his final Indy start -- last year -- Gordon scored his worst-ever finish of 42nd. In a sense, this time filling in for his good friend and former teammate Earnhardt also affords him the chance to improve that career note, too.

"My expectations are very realistic," Gordon said. "I'm approaching this the same way I've approached any race I've ever been in. I drive the car into the corner and the car gives me feedback and if it feels good, I drive it harder. If it doesn't feel good I find a way to manage it until we can make adjustments.

"My goal is to make the car go as fast as it can go. Each time on track I feel like I'm getting better. This is a steep learning curve, to be off the track this long and then just jump in here. But luckily, I have a great race car and a great race team that's going to help me get through it."

Face-off: NBC Sports’ Nate Ryan and Dustin Long debate the season and what is to come

As the Sprint Cup Series heads for a weekend off, NBC Sports’ Nate Ryan and Dustin Long note what’s stood out to them in the season’s first 15 races and look ahead to what you might see later this year.

Here’s how they answered these questions about the season:

Who is more likely to win first — Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney or Austin Dillon — and where do you think they’ll win?

NATE: Chase Elliott, Indianapolis Motor Speedway: There would be a certain symmetry to the No. 24 Chevrolet returning to the winner’s circle at the Brickyard. This isn’t a sentimental pick, though. A case can be made for Elliott being NASCAR’s hottest drivers for the past three months. He was two rookie mistakes on restarts from winning at Pocono Raceway and Michigan International Speedway, two fast superspeedways that share a few characteristics with Indy, and the third time will be the charm for Elliott, whose predecessor, Jeff Gordon, won a record five Brickyards starting with the 1994 inaugural.

DUSTIN: Ryan Blaney, Kentucky Speedway. He won the most recent Xfinity race there last year, was a part of this week’s test there and the ties to Team Penske will help with the way the Penske cars have run well there before.

Which driver has stood out the most in the first 15 races?

NATE: Chase Elliott. He is having the greatest rookie season in a decade (11 top 10s rank third in the series behind Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch), and it was virtually impossible to predict. Though he stepped into a championship-caliber ride, he was coming off a disappointing defense of his 2014 Xfinity Series title and shouldering enormous expectations and pressure. Yet against stiffer competition, he has raised his game and raced with the poise and adaptability of teammate and six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson. Elliott, 20, keeps proving little fazes him.

DUSTIN: Kevin Harvick. He’s still fast and still one of the few that has shown the ability to regularly challenge the top Toyota cars. That he and crew chief Rodney Childers have been able to remain among the strongest cars since working together in 2014 says much for both.

What’s three things that have stood out to you so far this season?

NATE: 

1. The suddenly forceful youth movement in the Sprint Cup Series.

2. The direction of rules changes aimed at lowering downforce that are making an impact on improving passing.

3. Tony Stewart’s turbulent farewell tour that – much like the three-time champion’s mercurial career – seemingly has turned on a dime from sputtering to promising.

DUSTIN:

1. Chase Elliott’s performance. There was a lot of hype but he’s doing things few rookies have.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s inconsistency. He has four runner-up finishes, four finishes of 30th or worse, had handling issues in both restrictor-plate races and is 11th in the points — the worst he’s been at this point in the season since 2010.

3. Tony Stewart’s year. It started with his incident with a fan at the Chili Bowl in January to his sand dunes accident a couple of weeks later, missing the first eight races, his complaints about teams not securing all five lug nuts, which led to a fine and a rule change, and his quest to climb into the top 30 in points to have a chance at the Chase. It makes one wonder what is to come.

Name one driver outside the top 16 who you think will make the Chase.

NATE: Kyle Larson. A win is the safest route, but his team’s uptick in performance over the past month opens the possibility of making the playoffs on points if Larson can maintain consistency.

DUSTIN: Kyle Larson is the easy pick based on how he’s run in recent weeks.

Who is one driver people should be paying more attention than they might.

NATE: Trevor Bayne. The results indicate he is among the most improved drivers of 2016, but it will take a victory to slough off the nagging legacy of his 2011 Daytona 500 win as a one-hit wonder. Talladega showed he could erase that unwanted label.

DUSTIN: Kurt Busch. He’s run in that fifth-to-10th spot often, but his Pocono win shows he’s building speed to contend for more victories. With a series-high 13 top-10 finishes in 15 races, don’t ignore him.

Based on what you’ve seen so far this year, who would be your way-too-early pick to make it to the championship round in Miami.

NATE: Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards

DUSTIN: Chase Elliott, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch

Is Joe Gibbs Racing losing its grip on being the dominant team in the series?

NATE: It’s only a two-race sample size, but there could be some warning signs in Joe Gibbs Racing failing to record a top five in consecutive races after a year long streak of 35 straight. It was around this time last season that Hendrick Motorsports began a midseason swoon that lasted for nearly two months after winning six of the first 17 races. It’s also notable that JGR didn’t lead a lap at Michigan with a new rules package that could chart the course of teams’ fortunes through 2017. A familiar refrain in NASCAR is that success is cyclical, and sometimes the dominance can dip just as quickly as it arrived. Consider that JGR has won 18 of the past 36 races … but prior to that, had won only three of the previous 36.

DUSTIN: Yes, but it still is the strongest team in the garage. The team’s strength is shown in how it was newsworthy that JGR did not have a top-five finish in back-to-back races for the first time in a year. Teams are gaining, but Gibbs is still No. 1 at this point.

Which two drivers are most likely to butt heads?

NATE: Who has the most at stake and the most run-ins with rivals? Ryan Newman’s future at Richard Childress Racing remains uncertain, he is clinging to a provisional spot in the playoffs, and there have been recent flashes of his ornery side (namely with Joey Logano at Pocono). Keep an eye on Newman and any of the winless drivers he is battling with to make the Chase.

DUSTIN: I’ll take Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin. Two hard-nosed racers looking to improve performance in the coming races. Newman needs it to assure a spot in the Chase; Hamlin needs to be more of a title contender.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has mixed feelings about Pocono runner-up finish

Dale Earnhardt Jr. left Pocono Raceway on Monday with a love-hate finish.
Earnhardt hated to finish second to race winner Kurt Busch in Monday’s race, not to mention also losing what may have been the best chance he had to reach victory lane this season.
“I could have been a little more aggressively doing some things differently,” Earnhardt said. “But we ended up getting tight and not really having anything anyways right at the end of the race, and (Busch) saved enough (fuel).”
But at the same time,Earnhardt loved his second-place finish – his best finish since placing second six races ago at Bristol.
Since that Bristol race, he’s struggled with five consecutive finishes outside of the top 10: 13th (Richmond), 40th (Talladega), 15th (Kansas), 32nd (Dover) and 14th (Charlotte).
“Yeah, (finishing second) certainly feels better than finishing 15th,” Earnhardt said. “When you get just a little bit behind in this series, holy moly, it takes so much work to just regain what you lost, not really even to have an advantage, just to get back to where you were. A tenth out on that racetrack is impossible to find.
“It’s a good step in the right direction. I felt like we could come in here and run good, and I think we learned a lot that we can understand how to get better for the next race here. I’m looking forward to Michigan, and obviously it’s going to be a different package, but I think we’ll run good on that track, too, and anticipate having a good run at Kentucky.”
Earnhardt is relieved that his slump could be over. He also has high hopes he can capture that elusive first win of the season, which would all but guarantee him a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
“We certainly finished better than we should have,” Earnhardt said. “Our car wasn’t quite a second-place car. We started off really tight and really slow, probably about a 15th-place car. Greg (Ives, crew chief) and the guys made a lot of changes and made the car better.”
Earnhardt criticized NASCAR for the minimal amount of practice at Pocono this weekend. While much of the reason was weather-related – including the postponement of Sunday’s race to Monday – Earnhardt suggested NASCAR should reevaluate its practice policies for Sprint Cup teams.
“We just didn’t get any practice,” he said. “The drivers have been asking NASCAR to take away the morning practice and add a little bit to the second one to make that Saturday practice an hour and a half, and we didn’t — it was just an hour.
“It takes you a minute to run around this track. You can’t get but 13 damned laps in practice. I don’t know how you’re supposed to figure out what your cars are doing. So we came into this race with no idea.
“We made a lot of changes last night. We basically put in an old setup that worked in the past, and it started off missing the mark pretty bad, but we worked on it and got it better, and we’ll take the points. We’ve had a rough month, so this is a decent finish for us.”

NASCAR America: How Kurt Busch saved enough fuel to win at Pocono

Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett detail how Kurt Busch managed to save enough fuel to win Monday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway.

Mileage master: Kurt Busch saves enough fuel to win at Pocono

Kurt Busch held off both a virtually empty gas tank and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win Monday’s weather-delayed Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway.
Busch, initially told by his team he was two laps short on fuel, repeatedly toggled his engine to conserve fuel in the final 10 laps.
Still, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver aptly worked his way to the checkered flag and had enough fuel to do a celebratory burnout. Busch led the final 32 laps en route to his 28th career Sprint Cup victory and third at Pocono’s 2.5-mile triangle (his last win there was in 2007).
Team engineer John Klausmeier served as Busch’s interim crew chief and earned his first career win in that role. Klausmeier replaced Tony Gibson, who was on NASCAR suspension after a lug nut violation last weekend.
It was Busch’s first win since Michigan last June (34 starts). It was also a big breakthrough victory for the driver of the No. 41 Chevrolet: Busch leads all drivers in 2016 with 12 top-10 finishes in 14 races.
Earnhardt finished second, followed by Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney.

HOW BUSCH WON: This wasn’t Busch’s first rodeo when it comes to fuel mileage. He’s one of the best when it comes to saving fuel when he needs to most. He apparently wound up saving more than 5 miles worth of fuel to reach the finish line and then victory lane.
WHO ELSE HAD A GOOD RACE: Dale Earnhardt Jr. rallied late for his fourth second place of the season (Atlanta, Texas, Bristol, Pocono). … Chase Elliott led a race-high 51 laps – including at the halfway point of the 160-lap event – and finished fourth. “I feel like we had a car that could do it today,” Elliott told Fox Sports 1. “We had a super fast car that could lead all day.” … Brad Keselowski rallied from two NASCAR penalties to finish third.
WHO HAD A BAD RACE: Kyle Busch wrecked with Ryan Newman with 50 laps to go. While Newman was able to continue and finished 12th, Busch was forced to take his car to the garage for repairs. Busch finished 31st. … Tony Stewart had his best starting spot of the season but wrecked with teammate Danica Patrick (32nd) and finished 34th. … Others having rough days included Jimmie Johnson (35th), Austin Dillon (37th), Michael Annett (38th), Brian Scott (39th) and Matt DiBenedetto (40th) – particularly DiBenedetto, who was involved in three incidents before his day came to an end.
NOTABLE: This marked the first race of the season – and the first time since this race a year ago (a 35-race stretch) – where at least one Toyota failed to finish in the top five. Matt Kenseth was the top Toyota driver (seventh), followed by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Carl Edwards (eighth).
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I was like, ‘Whoa, how many laps shy are we?’ They said, ‘Two.’ These are really long straightaways at Pocono, and you have to manage saving fuel as well as maintaining lap time. So many thoughts can go through your head, but I just stuck with the checklist. I just stuck with saving fuel and watching the No. 88 (Dale Earnhardt, Jr.) behind us.” – Kurt Busch in a postrace interview on Fox Sports 1.
WHAT’S NEXT: Sunday, June 12, 1 p.m. ET, Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Pit stall assignments for today’s Sprint Cup race at Pocono

As a result of his pole for today’s Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway, Brad Keselowski will have the No. 1 pit stall at the exit of pit road.

Pitting directly behind him is Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin.

Matt Kenseth has the last pit stall. The first three pit stalls near the pit entrance are not in use.

Sprint Cup race at Pocono in rain delay

The Sprint Cup Series’ Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway, which was set to start at 1:01 p.m. ET, is officially in a rain delay.

The weather website wunderground.com has chances of rain in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, above 80 percent until 7 p.m. ET

Check back for more…

Social Roundup: Inconvenient beauty of Pocono Raceway rain delay

Unfortunately, there won’t be any racing at Pocono Raceway today thanks to constant rain, thick fog and the fact Pocono doesn’t have lights.

But the wet elements have provided some memorable visuals from the track in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Here’s some of the best shots of the rain soaked Pocono that have been shared on social media.

Chase Elliott’s fast Sprint Cup start compares favorably to what current drivers did

As rookie Chase Elliott prepares for this weekend’s race at Pocono Raceway, it marks a key milestone in his young career.

This will be his 19th career Sprint Cup race. Thus, he’s run in what would be equal to half a season.

When compared to the first 18 races of some drivers, Elliott matches well in regards to top-five and top-10 finishes.

Elliott, who ran five races last season, has nine top-10 finishes in his first 18 starts. Among current drivers, only Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart had more top-10 finishes at this point than Elliott did with 10 each.

Elliott has four top-five finishes at this point. Among active drivers, only Kasey Kahne had more top fives in his first 18 races with five. Also, former driver Jeff Gordon had five top-five finishes and eight top 10s in his first 18 career Cup races.

“I feel like I have a team and a group of guys that are capable of winning if I do my part for them,” Elliott said Friday at Pocono Raceway.

Here’s how Elliott’s record in his first 18 races compares to those among current drivers in their first 18 Cup races.

WINS (0 by Chase Elliott)

2 – Jimmie Johnson

2 – Kevin Harvick

2 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

1 – Matt Kenseth

1 – Carl Edwards

1 – Brad Keselowski

1 – Jamie McMurray

1 – Trevor Bayne

Top Fives (4 by Chase Elliott)

5 – Kasey Kahne

4 – Jimmie Johnson

4 – Ryan Newman

4 – Tony Stewart

3 – Matt Kenseth

3 – Carl Edwards

3 – Kevin Harvick

3 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

3 – Jamie McMurray

3 – Kyle Larson

Top 10s (9 by Chase Elliott)

10 – Jimmie Johnson

10 – Tony Stewart

8 – Kevin Harvick

7 – Carl Edwards

6 – Ryan Newman

6 – Kyle Larson

6 – Matt Kenseth

6 – Denny Hamlin

6 – Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Five drivers to watch at Pocono

Here’s who you should keep an eye on this weekend with the Sprint Cup Series at Pocono Raceway:

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

After back-to-back runner-up finishes at Texas and Bristol in April, Earnhardt has failed to post a top 10 in the last five races. But he’s been stout in recent years at Pocono where’s he collected two wins, five top fives, and eight top 10s since 2011 (10 races). The “Tricky Triangle” is a good place for him and the No. 88 team to get things together.

Martin Truex Jr.

The Coca-Cola 600 winner heads to Pocono to defend his win last spring. He threatened to sweep when the series returned to Pocono later in August, but was one of several front-runners that ran out of fuel in the closing laps (he wound up 19th). Considering how fast he and his Joe Gibbs Racing “partners” have been everywhere, expect Truex to contend this weekend at one of NASCAR’s big horsepower tracks.

Kyle Larson

Pocono is another place where Larson is steady. He’s posted a 9.0 average finish in his first four starts, including finishes of eighth and 12th in the 2015 races. If his recent surge in performance continues, he can contend again for his potential first career Sprint Cup win — or at least a strong finish to cut into his playoff deficit (-38 points behind 16th place).

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson has had a solid record of late at Pocono. Since 2011, he’s posted a 9.4 average finish (including a win in Spring 2013) there, while also leading the series in laps led (221). He’s also gained the second-most points among active drivers at Pocono during that span (356), trailing only Dale Earnhardt Jr. (371)

Kevin Harvick

Before his engine failed early last August, Harvick had finished runner-up in the previous two Pocono races. The 2.5-mile track is one of four on the current Cup schedule where he’s yet to win (the others being Texas, Kentucky, and Sonoma). But in the midst of another stellar season, he can definitely check this one off the list on Sunday.

Fog, rain limit number of cars on track in first Sprint Cup practice at Pocono

Fog and then light rain impacted Friday’s lone Sprint Cup practice session at Pocono Raceway.

Twenty-eight of 40 cars took to the track before rain shortened the session. That means if Sprint Cup qualifying later today also is impacted by weather, the starting field would not be set by practice speeds.

The first of two scheduled Xfinity Series practice sessions also was impacted by rain and did not start as scheduled at 12:30 p.m. ET.

Carl Edwards was the fastest of the drivers who practiced with a speed of 179.802 mph. Kevin Harvick was second fastest (178.827 mph), followed by Kurt Busch (178.649), Paul Menard (178.250) and Kyle Busch (178.193).

Track dryers are on the 2.5-mile tri-oval, attempting to dry the racing surface.

Additional rain is in the forecast for today, which could play havoc with the second scheduled Xfinity Series practice (3 – 3:55 p.m. ET), as well as Sprint Cup qualifying, scheduled for 4:15 p.m. ET.

Here’s how the abbreviated first practice session played out:

Jones boys: Erik and Brandon Jones fastest in 2nd Pocono Xfinity practice

Three of the top five fastest drivers in Thursday’s second NASCAR Xfinity Series practice session at Pocono Raceway were from the Joe Gibbs Racing stable.

rik Jones was fastest at 182.914 mph, while teammate Kyle Busch was third-fastest (171.138) and Daniel Suarez was fifth-fastest (169.792).

Sandwiched in between were Brandon Jones, who was second fastest (171.298) and Ty Dillon was fourth fastest (169.885).

There will be two more practice sessions on Friday. This is the first time the Xfinity Series has ever raced at Pocono.

Here’s how Thursday’s second practice played out:

Xfinity Series entry list for Pocono

Forty-one cars are on the preliminary entry list for this weekend’s inaugural Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway.

Since this list was released, Richard Petty Motorsports announced that it has suspended operations of the No. 43 team, citing missed payments by the sponsor.

Sprint Cup drivers entered are: Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Paul Menard, Aric Almirola, Matt DiBenedetto and Josh Wise.

Sprint Cup entry list for Pocono

Forty cars are on the preliminary entry list for this weekend’s Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway.

Since the entry list was released, Go Fas Racing has announced that Jeb Burton will drive the No. 32 car this weekend. Also, Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing has stated that Ty Dillon will drive the No. 95 car this weekend even though Michael McDowell is listed on the preliminary entry list.