Buescher emerges in the fog at Pocono for 1st career Cup win

Wins: Ky.Busch, 4; B.Keselowski, 4; C.Edwards, 2; J.Johnson, 2; M.Kenseth, 2; Ku.Busch, 1; D.Hamlin, 1; K.Harvick, 1; J.Logano, 1; T.Stewart, 1; M.Truex, 1.

For the first 15 laps, pole victor Martin Truex Jr. looked every bit as if the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing chassis he drove to a dominating victory at Charlotte in May might pull off a duplicate performance in Monday’s Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway. He returned as a crew chief a year ago but Edwards had left Roush-Fenway Racing for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“We never lost the track”, said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s chief racing development officer. If you are confident that you know the driver that will dominate the race, build your lineup around them and fill out your roster with drivers that have a lot of upside through place differential or drivers that are starting just outside the top 10 who have a chance to finish near the front. “Hopefully, we can keep this rolling”. However, the driver of the No. 18 JGR Toyota will take it considering the wild racing and wacky weather conditions at Pocono. Here’s how that picture looks post-Pocono. He began the race 31st in points and therefore not eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup just by winning a race.

But a crew chief switch might make the difference.

WASTED: Richard Childress Racing’s Paul Menard led the first practice session of the weekend and qualified third with new crew chief Danny Stockman but suffered an engine problem on a Lap 19 restart, almost bunched the fielded and finished 35th. RCR dumped Justin Alexander for Stockman for Menard’s stretch run. Waiting to slide into that seat, though, is 20-year-old Erik Jones, who won last season’s Truck Series title and has already established himself as someone sure to be dominant in the years to come. The top 16 drivers, based on wins then points, will make the 10-race Chase for the Championship.

“A lot of guys that were on a similar strategy hit pit road just before we did”, Buescher said.

“As I got closer to the tunnel turn I felt (the tire) start to go down”, Truex said. “Everybody at the shop, we have all the tools to do this right”. He had multiple issues once he returned to the track and finished 38th. Austin Dillon was 12th. He surpassed Kurt Busch, the 2004 Sprint Cup champion, who had four wins as a rookie in 2000.

He slammed nose-first into a protective tire barrier coming out of the first turn and tore up the entire front end of the No. 2 Ford. Some drivers took their dogs for a walk.

Buescher has quietly been part of the high-profile rookie class that includes Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, both sons of former Sprint Cup drivers. Edwards and Kenseth are each threats to win on a almost weekly basis, and while the Hamlin team has slumped somewhat through the summer months, the Gibbs cars are consistently ahead of the pack on raw speed every week and are automatically the favorites no matter where the series is. “It’s just the way it is”. Jeff Gordon will again drive the No. 88 vehicle this weekend as Dale Earnhardt Jr. continues to recover from concussion-like symptoms. Hendrick Motorsports has not said who will drive the No. 88 Chevrolet on Sunday at Watkins Glen. The Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 was moved from Sunday to Monday in June, and was able to run in its entirety.

“I wish Dale a speedy recovery”.

“I tried not to get my hopes up”, he said.