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June 8, 2015

Rundown: Pocono


Get analysis for all 43 cars from Sunday’s race

1. Martin Truex Jr., No. 78 Chevrolet, Furniture Row Racing. The fourth time was the charm for the New Jersey native who led the most laps for the fourth straight race and earns a spot in the 2015 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

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2. Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. The fastest car all weekend couldn’t get it done on restarts, although the points leader Harvick cut Truex’s lead to 1.5 seconds coming to the white flag.

3. Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson rallied for his 10th top-five finish of the year after cutting a tire on Lap 87 to bring out the third caution flag.

4. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford, Team Penske. Logano had to climb through the field twice on Sunday — first for changing a rear gear and second for a pit road penalty.

5. Kurt Busch, No. 41 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. The pole sitter pitted near the midway point with tire concerns and used a great late-race restart to resume running in the top five with eight laps to go.

6. Matt Kenseth, No. 20 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth rallied from an early pit road speeding penalty and was running fifth when he made side contact with Jimmie Johnson on Lap 135.

7. Jamie McMurray, No. 1 Chevrolet. Chip Ganassi Racing. McMurray didn’t pit during the final caution period and restarted seventh coming to the final green flag en route to matching his best career Pocono result.

8. Kyle Larson, No. 42 Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing. Larson started 15th on Sunday and quietly worked his way to his third straight top-11 finish at Pocono.

9. Kyle Busch, No. 18 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. “I’m getting killed in the tunnel,” Busch radioed his team early while running inside the top 10. “Can’t get over the bumps today.” For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

10. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin safely slid past as the Nos. 31 and 47 cars tangled up on Lap 141 and went on to claim his sixth top-10 finish of the year.

11. Dale Earnhardt Jr., No. 88 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Earnhardt was a big mover early in the race, jumping up to seventh by Lap 22. Contact on a late-race restart, however, stalled his efforts.

12. Greg Biffle, No. 16 Ford, Roush-Fenway Racing. Continual adjustments helped Biffle improve the balance and handling of his Ford; “The day turned out better than I thought it would,” he radioed. For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

13. Kasey Kahne, No. 5 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. Kahne led twice but encountered some transmission issues as he was working his way through the top 10.

14. Jeff Gordon, No. 24 Chevrolet, Hendrick Motorsports. “Stay out,” crew chief Alan Gustafson radioed a skeptical Gordon after teammate Jimmie Johnson blew a tire on Lap 87. The decision appeared to ignite an argument that exploded on Lap 160. READ MORE: Gordon, crew chief exchange words

15. Carl Edwards, No. 19 Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing. The outside pole sitter matched his best Pocono start and led 16 of the first 29 laps before fading in the field.

16. Casey Mears, No. 13 Chevrolet, Germain Racing. Mears was running 24th on Lap 106, and he kept working with his team on his in-car track bar adjustments.

17. Brad Keselowski, No. 2 Ford, Team Penske. “I need straightaway speed,” Keselowski, impacted by the sixth caution period, asked his team. “Anybody got any?” For more in-car audio, sign up for RaceView.

18. Ty Dillon, No. 33 Chevrolet, Circle Sport. Dillon, making his third Cup start this year, posted his best career result and the highest of the day among the Richard Childress Racing contingent.

19. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. After making his best start of the 2015 season, Dillon battled a loose-handling race car before picking up a bonus point for leading five laps during the third caution.

20. Justin Allgaier, No. 51 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. Allgaier earned the free pass on Lap 87 and employed pit strategy to improve five spots in the final 20 laps.

21. Tony Stewart, No. 14 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart was among the few drivers to hit pit road during the sixth caution period to top off his tank in anticipation of a fuel-mileage race. But he was set back during the Lap 130 stop by an uncontrolled tire violation.

22. Clint Bowyer, No. 15, Michael Waltrip Racing. With 60 laps to go, Bowyer was holding on as the last car on the lead lap and still searching for speed.

23. David Ragan, No. 55 Toyota, Michael Waltrip Racing. Ragan returned to the lead lap with the free pass on Lap 50 and encouraged his team that the car’s balance was improving.

24. Trevor Bayne, No. 6 Ford, Roush Fenway Racing. Bayne, making his first Pocono start, returned to the lead lap after the sixth caution flag was waved.

25. Landon Cassill, No. 40 Chevrolet, Hillman Smith Motorsports. Cassill just missed matching his best Pocono finish — 24th — while navigating the ruckus around Pocono’s Tricky Triangle.

26. Alex Bowman, No. 7 Chevrolet, Tommy Baldwin Racing. Bowman was running 30th when contact from Brett Moffitt prompted him to spin in Turn 3 on Lap 93 to bring out the fourth caution flag.

27. David Gilliland, No. 38 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Gilliland saved fuel and was in position to crack the top 30 during the final 20 laps of the race.

28. Cole Whitt, No. 35 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Whitt was complimentary of Pocono’s updated Tunnel Turn, but he and other competitors struggled with the bumps.

29. Josh Wise, No. 98 Ford, Phil Parsons Racing. Wise narrowly missed a spinning Alex Bowman on Lap 93 and held on to record his second-best Pocono finish.

30. Brett Moffitt, No. 34 Ford, Front Row Motorsports. Moffitt was rolling along 33rd on Lap 129 when he got loose and spun after receiving contact from Brad Keselowski to bring out the sixth caution flag.

31. Paul Menard, No. 27 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. An apparent issue with his tachometer prompted Menard to pick up back-to-back speeding penalties on pit road before blowing a left-front tire within the first 50 laps.

32. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 83 Toyota, BK Racing. The rookie adhered his spotter’s words, “Be smart,” and took advantage of a late-race caution to wrap his first Pocono outing.

33. Jeb Burton, No. 26 Toyota, BK Racing. The Pocono newbie was running deep in the field with 23 laps to go when he radioed to his crew, “it’s not over yet. Get some popcorn and get ready to watch the crash show.”

34. Michael Annett, No. 46 Chevrolet, HScott Motorsports. It was a challenging day for Annett, who spent the majority of the day running deep in the field.

35. Travis Kvapil, No. 32 Ford, Go Fas Racing. Making his first start of the 2015 Cup season, Kvapil rolled off the grid 42nd and ran as high as 35th on Sunday.

36. J.J. Yeley, No. 23 Toyota, BK Racing. Yeley was temporarily sidelined on Lap 38 when a bag stuck to his grille and caused some overheating.

37. Danica Patrick, No. 10 Chevrolet, Stewart-Haas Racing. Patrick’s strongest Pocono run to date was dashed when she spun on Lap 135 and then again later in the final laps.

38. AJ Allmendinger, No. 47 Chevrolet, JTG-Daugherty Racing. Allmendinger was running eighth and gunning for his best Pocono finish when he made contact with Ryan Newman on Lap 141.

39. Ryan Newman, No. 31 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing. Newman was passing AJ Allmendinger on the outside for seventh when Allmendinger traveled up the track and hit Newman’s left-rear, sending the No. 31 spinning. READ MORE: Newman: Dinger ‘has one coming’

40. Brendan Gaughan, No. 62 Chevrolet, Premium Motorsports. Gaughan rolled off the grid 43rd and struggled to make up position around the long, bumpy 2.5-mile triangle.

41. Sam Hornish Jr., No. 9 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Hornish was running 22nd and on the lead lap when he spun in Turn 1 and hit the wall to bring out the caution with 40 laps to go.

42. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 17, Roush Fenway Racing. Stenhouse lost his brakes while trying to make a pass going into the Tunnel Turn, and he slammed into the wall on Lap 69.

43. Aric Almirola, No. 43 Ford, Richard Petty Motorsports. Almirola’s team had just figured out the handling on his No. 43 Ford when he radioed on Lap 74 the engine was blowing up.