Carl Edwards Avoids Tire Problems To Win Pocono 500

Pocono is always a challenge as it is a unique track on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. Would the older, more experienced, guys have the advantage on the tricky three-cornered track or would the younger drivers dominate? Would the Jack Roush and Rick Hendrick race teams continue their domination of the 2005 season? There were a lot of questions to be answered today.

Qualifying

For the first time in 14 years and 446 races Michael Waltrip won the pole. This was the third pole position of his career, the previous two were at Michigan and Dover both in June of 1991. Joining Michael on the front row was Kurt Busch. Brian Vickers and Jamie McMurray made up row number two.

Kurt Busch had to give up his front row starting spot and move to the back because of an engine change.

Drop The Green Flag

Michael Waltrip made the most of his front row start and set sail. Stretching out a huge lead that lasted until the first caution flew on lap 28.

Brian Vickers won the race off pit road and would lead, basically uninterrupted until Carl Edwards got by on lap 141. To say the least this was not a race that featured exciting side-by-side racing with lots of lead changes.

Storylines

Tires! There were more than 20 flat tires during the race. Most of those were left fronts. The teams were either running too much camber (tipping the wheel in to help it run through the corner better) or too low air pressure (softer tires generally give better grip through a softer spring rate and a larger contact patch).

Either way Goodyear officials were concerned and certainly will get to the bottom of it. They release air pressure guidelines but sometimes teams will go beyond Goodyear's recommendations. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't.

Chasing The Checkers

With just six laps to go Ryan Newman cut down a tire and slammed the wall, bringing out a caution that set up a green-white-checkers two lap dash for the win.

Carl Edwards took the green flag over Brian Vickers and Mark Martin. They only raced for half a lap when the yellow flag flew again for Bobby Labonte's wreck in Turn 2. Carl Edwards lead them around under caution to take the win over Brian Vickers, Joe Nemechek, Kyle Busch and a very lucky Mark Martin who got to limp around on a flat tire and salvage fifth.

NASCAR Online is currently showing Mark as finishing seventh instead of fifth. Not sure why, we'll have to wait until the official scoring is released on Monday to know for sure how he will be scored.

Carl Edwards was the current Busch Series points leader until today when a rainout of last nights race caused him to miss the show in Nashville so that he could race here today instead. I guess if you have to give up a Busch Series Championship settling for a NEXTEL Cup win is a good backup prize.

Top Ten

1. Carl Edwards
2. Brian Vickers
3. Joe Nemechek
4. Kyle Busch
5. Mark Martin
6. Michael Waltrip
7. Jimmie Johnson
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Jeff Gordon
10. Jamie McMurray

The Points

Not a lot of changes today as Jimmie Johnson had a strong day and stretched his lead out a little. Jeff Gordon regained a spot in the top ten as he jumped up to ninth. Kurt Busch fell to eleventh, one single point behind tenth place Tony Stewart.

1. Jimmie Johnson 0
2. Greg Biffle -123
3. Elliott Sadler -281
4. Carl Edwards -303
5. Mark Martin -328
6. Ryan Newman -329
7. Kevin Harvick -347
8. Rusty Wallace -348
9. Jeff Gordon -362
10. Tony Stewart -380

Next Week

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup racing moves on to Michigan International Speedway next week for the traditional Father's Day race on the big 2 mile D. Lots of room to race usually means few cautions and a fuel mileage shootout.