Truex breaks streak with win at Pocono as Gordon finishes 14th
LONG POND – Time after time, caution flags brought his rivals closer to Martin Truex Jr. on the Pocono Raceway.
Time after time, Truex pulled away Sunday afternoon, winning the Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400 and ending a 69-race drought without a victory.
“All his restarts, he just was 10 out of 10 perfect,” said his crew chief, Cole Pearn. “That really made the difference.”
Truex has dealt with more than his share of disappointment since his last win, in Sonoma nearly two years ago, including some tough times recently. In each of the previous three Sprint Cup races he led the most laps and yet left the track frustrated.
But the 34-year-old driver and his team continued to push through and endure.
“It would be easy the last three weeks to get down and hang your head and make excuses, but they weren’t,” Truex said. “They knew we were going to get this win.”
Members of the crew congradulate Martin Truex Jr. as he makes his way to Victory Circle on his victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Axalta 400 held at Pocono Raceway. Photo by Nick ThomasThe Mayetta, N.J., native led 97 laps of the 160-lap race in winning his third career Sprint Cup race, refusing to back off on a day when the first 120 miles were run under a green flag but there were eight yellows and a total of 31 caution laps the rest of the way.
Despite a late charge, Kevin Harvick was unable to catch Truex, settling for his eighth second-place finish of the year. Harvick, driving the No. 4 Budweiser car, leads the Sprint Cup standings but is still winless in 29 career starts at Pocono.
The winningest racer at Pocono Raceway, Jeff Gordon, sported “Penn State” on his No. 24 car and on his fire suit under an educational partnership between the university and his sponsor – Axalta Coating Systems, which also sponsored the race.
The Penn State connection didn’t result in a great day for Gordon, however.
After starting fourth, he fell off the pace 55 laps in, getting pushed high on the race’s first restart and falling from sixth out of the top 10. In his second-to-last run at Pocono, Gordon – who plans to retire at the end of the season – used another caution to work himself up to the front of the pack for a single lap.
Even with the Penn State crowd rooting for him, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon (shown here during a Friday practice run) didn't drive to victory in Sunday's Axalta 400 Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. Photo by Nick ThomasBut a quick yellow flag at lap 94 forced Gordon to pit. He was unable to make his way back to the leaders, finishing 14th on the day.
Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano, meanwhile, both overcame obstacles to pick up top-five finishes.
Johnson blew out a tire on lap 87, but was able to stick on the lead lap and push his way to the top of the field. Later in the race, Johnson made contact with the wall, but dealt with the damage and avoided a pit stop. Despite not leading a single lap, Johnson finished third, giving him seven top-three finishes in his last eight races.
“We overcame a lot. A flat tire and a damaged car and we still got to third,” he said. “It was a scrappy day, but we finished third.”
A penalty sent Logano to the back of the field to start the race. He tore through the back of the pack, but was penalized again for speeding during his first pit stop. Once again, he worked his way up, finally finishing in fourth place.
“This was one of those blue-collar days, the guys did a good job making my car faster and got to where we were a top-five car at the end,” Logano said.
The pole sitter, Kurt Busch, lost the lead on the first lap, but wound up in fifth.
The state of the track was a big talking point leading up to the race – especially a bump over the tunnel in turn two of Pocono’s “Tricky Triangle.” But, in the end, it wasn’t a major issue for most drivers.
“I think it got everybody’s attention, but I don’t mind the bumps and the challenges that come with all that stuff,” Johnson said.
Harvick still holds a 39-point edge on Truex in the series standings, but the win should put Truex in his third career Chase for the Sprint Cup late in the season.
“Should be the fourth, right?” Truex said. “As long as they don’t kick me out before now and then, I’ll be in it.”
(Writer Jeff Jezewski is a student in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State. The video was voiced by Matthew Mayer. Nick Thomas provided the images. The text was originally published June 7, 2015 in the Centre Daily Times)
