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Sprint Cup Series rookie, Chris Buescher, has had a pretty rough start to his Sprint Cup Series career. Entering Monday’s race at Pocono Raceway Chris Buescher was 32st in the points standings. He is driving for the underfunded team of Front Row Motorsports. Their season has been a series of up-and-down races including a spectacular crash at Talladega Superspeedway where the young 23 year old from Prosper Texas experienced what it’s like to be upside down in a race car. But Pocono would go drastically different from Talladega.
With 22 laps left in the 160 lap event, a massive wave of Pennsylvania fog would blanket over the entire speedway. Visibility cut to a minimum, NASCAR had no choice but to throw the yellow flag. A number of drivers were in the middle of making green flag pit stops when NASCAR threw the caution. Chris Buecsher’s crew chief, Bob Osborne, made the call for Buecsher to not pit in order to stay on the racetrack just in case the caution came out for weather. Buecsher grabbed the lead just as the caution lights started to blink. After an hour weather delay, NASCAR announced that Chris Buecsher was the winner of the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway as the race was declared official.
This is the first Sprint Cup Series triumph for the 2015 Xfinity Series champion. Now he is only six little points out of the top 30 in the driver standings. If his #34 team can race their way into the top 30, then Buecsher will be eligible to make The Chase for the championship.
As for the underfunded team that he drives for, Front Row Motorsports, this was their second victory in the Sprint Cup Series as they won with driver David Ragan at Talladega in 2013.
Who doesn’t like an underdog story?
Below are highlights and turn by turn action from the Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono Raceway. Race recapped by Last Lap Insider.
Below are highlights and turn by turn action from the Pennsylvania 400. Race recapped by Last Lap Insider.
Lap 1/160 – Pole sitter, Martin Truex Jr, leads the field into Turn 1. Already a few drivers are complaining about a few drops on the windshield. Kurt Busch had to start in the back due to unapproved body adjustment and he has already made his way up to the 26th position in 3 laps. Truex Jr continues to lead with Carl Edwards 2nd.
Lap 12/160 – Kurt Busch has made his way up to 23rd after starting last. Jeff Gordon, filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr, is running 22nd.
Lap 16/160 – Competition caution has come out. Drivers come in for their first pit stops. Martin Truex Jr wins the race off with Paul Menard 2nd and Joey Logano 3rd. When Denny Hamlin’s crew dropped the jack, Hamlin stalled the car for about a second costing him a spot on pit road. Hamlin is 6th.
Lap 20/160 – On the restart Paul Menard, who restarted 4th, loses a bunch of positions because he is having transmission issues. He’s complaining his Chevy won’t go into third gear. Martin Truex Jr blows a tire going into the tunnel turn and is in the wall hard. Truex brings his Furniture Row Toyota down pit lane for repairs.
Lap 23/160 – Greg Biffle gets a great launch off the restart pulling away from Brad Keselowski. Kyle Larson has taken the 2nd spot away from the #2 car. Joey Logano passes Kyle Larson for the 2nd spot on lap 26.
Lap 33/160 – Joey Logano easily passes Greg Biffle for the lead entering Turn 1.
Lap 35/160 – Greg Biffle, who stayed out on that last caution, is now making his pit stop. 22, 42, 4, 3, and 31 the top 5. Jeff Gordon is 16th. A few laps later the other car that stayed out on that last caution, Brad Keselowski, now makes his pit stop.
Lap 42/160 – The #78 teams troubles continue as they have another tire go flat. Truex comes back down pit road, no caution.
Lap 48/160 – Green flag pit stops have begun. Jeff Gordon, Michael Mcdowell and Ricky Stenhouse Jr have to come back in for speeding penalties. Brad Keselowski, who is off sequence with most of the other drivers, takes the lead. Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle are 2nd and 3rd. Biffle is another car off sequence.
Lap 62/160 – Kevin Harvick takes the lead from Brad Keselowski. Greg Biffle finally comes to pit road.
Lap 66/160 – Caution is out for Aric Almirola and Jeb Burton crashing coming off Turn 3. Almirola thought he was clear off Turn 3 but missed judged putting him and Burton into the wall. Pit stops are underway under caution with Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, and Chase Elliott the first 5 of pit road. The race is 13 laps away from halfway with rain and fog moving in. Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon did not pit so they are the leaders.
Lap 76/160 – Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon are fiercely battling for the lead due to the impending rain. This race could be declared official after the halfway mark.
Lap 80/160 – Just past halfway. Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon continue to battle hard for the lead. Dillon dives under Larson entering Turn 3. almost clipping the curb. Larson would hold his ground causing Dillon to slide up into the #42. Both Larson and Dillon would slide up the track, almost scrapping the wall, allowing Joey Logano to sail on by for the lead. Larson throws his hand out the window on the frontstretch to show his displeasure with Austin Dillon. Both Austin Dillon and Kyle Larson are still looking for their first career Sprint Cup Series win.
73 laps to go – the caution has come out for precipitation. Joey Logano is the leader. And now Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, and Chase Elliott come in to pit.
69 laps to go – Restart with 69 laps to go, Joey Logano continues to lead while Matt Kenseth takes 2nd away from Kevin Harvick.
The Top 20 – 22, 20, 4, 11, 5, 16, 14, 21, 47, 41, 48, 1, 42, 19, 18, 2, 31, 15, 24 and 3. Jeff Gordon is 21st.
67 laps to go – Brian Scott almost loses it coming out of Turn 2 but has an amazing save.
62 laps to go – Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray come in for pit stops as they stayed out on that last caution just in case the rain fell. Logano, Harvick and Kahne the top 3.
60 laps to go – caution has come out again for Martin Truex Jr having another flat tire. Caution is out.
58 laps to go – a number of drivers stay out on this recent caution including Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Chase Elliott.
55 laps to go – Chase Elliott and Joey Logano take it two wide in the tunnel turn causing the #24 to get loose making contact with the #22 of Logano. Logano hit the outside wall and Elliott tried to save it but ended up hitting the inside wall. Kasey Kahne came within inches of hitting Elliott but was able to slow his car down enough just in time. Caution is out.
51 laps to go – on the restart Kyle Larson is able to hold off Kyle Busch. Jeff Gordon has fallen way back because on the restart, for some reason, his seatbelt unbuckled! Definitely an uncomfortable position barreling into Turn 1 at 185 miles per hour with no seat belts. He has since then reattach them and is back on pace.
43 laps to go – 42, 3, and 18 the top 3. They will have make at least one more pit stop for fuel.
37 laps to go – the drivers who stayed out on the last pit stop are now making green flag stops. 5, 14, 4, 42, 18, 31, and 20, all come on to pit lane. Once all the drivers have made their green flag pit stops, Brad Keselowski should cycle out as the leader.
28 laps to go – Fog has rolled in and is covering most of the race track. The caution must come out for lack of visibility. Sprint Cup Series rookie, Chris Buescher, is the leader with Brad Keselowski 2nd.
22 laps to go – NASCAR is bringing the field down pit road and red flagging this race. After an hour weather delay, NASCAR has declared this race official. Sprint Cup Series rookie Chris Buescher is declared the winner.
Full Pocono Results
1. Chris Buescher
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Regan Smith
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Tony Stewart
6. Kyle Larson
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Carl Edwards
9. Kyle Busch
10. Kurt Busch
11. Ryan Blaney
12. Ryan Newman
13. Austin Dillon
14. AJ Allmendinger
15. Kasey Kahne
16. Jimmie Johnson
17. Matt Kenseth
18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr
19. Trevor Bayne
20. Jamie McMurray
21. Casey Mears
22. Danica Patrick
23. Michael Mcdowell
24. Brian Scott
25. Greg Biffle
26. Clint Bowyer
27. Matt Dibenedetto
28. Jeff Gordon – In The 88
29. Michael Annett
30. Landon Cassill
31. Cole Whitt
32. David Ragan
33. Chase Elliott – Crash
34. Josh Wise
35. Paul Menard – Transmission Problems
36. Jeb Burton – Crash
37. Joey Logano – Crash
38. Martin Truex Jr – Blown Tire
39. Aric Almirola – Crash
40. Reed Sorenson
The next race on the Sprint Cup Series calendar is the “Cheese-It 355” at the newly repaved Watkins Glen International, August 7, at 2:30 p.m. ET. For more Sprint Cup updates check out the Last Lap Insider on Instagram @lastlapinsider.
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