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LONG POND — The top three drivers in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points finished 1-2-3 in Sunday’s Axalta, “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono Raceway, but in no particular order.
As of now, Kevin Harvick has a 39-point lead over Pocono winner Martin Truex Jr. The driver with the most wins on the season remains six-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson, whose day nearly came to an end when the No. 22 of Joey Logano tagged the wall directly in front. Johnson also got a piece of the wall, but not enough to slow down the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet.
“Our race ability has been a shining spot for us this year,” Johnson said. “Today we really didn’t have pace for the 78 or the 4, so we’ve got to get to work there. With the damaged car we ran third, missing half the splitter and the right side knocked in, some hard racing on one of those restarts off Turn 3.”
The three-time Pocono winner cut a left-front tire on lap 87 and ran no higher than third throughout the race.
Bayne completes first Cup race at the Tricky Triangle
Trevor Bayne turned his first laps during Wednesday’s Pocono ARCA test in preparation for this weekend’s races. Bayne ran Saturday’s ARCA race in a No. 22 Cunningham Motorsports car, who is affiliated with his Cup team, Roush-Fenway Racing. He got to celebrate Saturday in Pocono’s victory lane after leading 42 of the 80 laps en route to victory. Sunday was a different story, as the 2011 Daytona 500 winner finished 24th and on the lead lap in his No. 6 AdvoCare Ford.
“We got through it and that was the main part for our first run here at Pocono,” Bayne said. “Overall, we kept a clean car and for the first time I learned a ton.”
His RFR teammates, Greg Biffle and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., finished 12th and 42nd, respectively. Stenhouse hit the wall on lap 70 to bring out the race’s second caution.
Logano comes from rear to top-five
A gear change on the No. 22 Pennzoil forced 2015 Daytona 500 champ Logano to start in the rear for Sunday’s race. Logano got a lap down early before taking the wave-around to get a lap back. To add to his issues, he was also caught speeding on pit road. A hair-raising moment occurred late for the Connecticut driver when he tagged the wall out of 4 and nearly collecting Johnson in the process.
Nevertheless, he put himself in a good position to make the most out of the day with a fourth-place finish.
“I’m happy with the way it ended,” Logano said. “We didn’t have a very fast Shell/Pennzoil Ford from the get-go when we unloaded here, but we kept fighting hard. We were maybe a little better than the 48, but nothing for the 4 and the 78.”
Unofficially, Logano is now one point behind Johnson for third in the standings, but is practically guaranteed a spot in the 2015 NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup from his win in the series’ season-opening race.