Sunoco Pit Move: Pocono (cont'd)

"What people forget about Pocono is that it ended up raining out, but even if it would have gone back to dry and we all would have pitted at that point, we still would have gained track position," he said. "So, it worked in two ways. It was good and we won. At the same time, it was an easier way to pass eight guys because we just didn't give Jeff a car good enough to do it today and you saw after we got out in clean air, we had [enough speed.]"

And again, a little homework paid off for Letarte.

"I had a note from last year's race that Greg Biffle was 16 seconds behind the leader and pitted and didn't lose a lap," Letarte said. "That was the only note I remembered, is that you won't lose a lap here. So it doesn't matter if it doesn't work. It is going to cycle around and everybody is going to need fuel and you would be OK."

So how does Letarte stay focused on strategy when there are so many distractions?

"If you watch during the race, I walk a lot and sometimes I just have to walk away from someone giving a suggestion or thoughts because I just need to think and it worked out good today," Letarte said. "The strength of our team is the team. I didn't make that decision today; I was part of the decision.

"Our car chief had a hand in it, our engineer had a hand in it, Ken Howes had a hand in it and our spotter had a huge hand in it because he could see the clouds coming. It is a huge group of people who are pulling in the same direction, and that is what is going to make it work.

"I am not smart enough to go out and make that decision to win that race, but me and 19 other guys are collectively smart enough to get lucky and get a little weather and win the race."