POCONO PUZZLE
The narrative from Sunday’s Cup race in Pocono was painfully familiar. With the focus on clean air, there were few passes at the front and a runaway winner in Martin Truex Jr. If you prefer strategy, the most compelling action came during pit stops and restarts. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch have combined for nine wins this season. But thanks to the precision work of his pit crew and a couple of bold late-race passes, Truex added some much-needed spice to the series.
NASCAR HOTBED
The Roanoke Valley in Virginia has long been a hotbed for NASCAR racing. Just consider the recent numbers compiled by the Nielson Ratings service indicating that the Roanoke-Lynchburg market ranks as No. 1 nationally the percentage of households who attended, watched and listened to a race over the past year. The number for Roanoke-Lynchburg was 32 percent. Charlotte, home to most of the NASCAR teams and crewmen, was second on the list at 26.9. Sunday’s Cup race yielded a national 1.6 overnight rating, down from the 1.9 figure of last year. The top three markets in terms of viewership Sunday were Greenville, South Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, and Greensboro, North Carolina.
(KYLE) BUSCH SERIES
To the dismay of Kyle Busch haters and Xfinity series regulars, former Cup champion Busch dominated Saturday’s Xfinity race at Pocono. Driving for a Cup team with Cup crewmen and Cup technology, Busch led 64 of the 100 laps en route to his 92nd career win in the series. Busch displayed his dominance by charging from the back of the field to the front after being penalized for speeding on pit road between the second and third stages. In another insult to the lower-funded Xfinity teams, the Busch car failed post-race inspection after NASCAR officials discovered that the car was too high in the left-front corner.
BACK TO THE LAB
Fans and media types were buzzing about the potential of Saturday’s Xfinity race because teams were using the same restrictor plate, high drag package that generated an action-packed All-Star race at Charlotte two weeks ago. But the experiment at Pocono failed to translate into side-by-racing and battles for the lead on the massive 2.5-mile layout.
FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES
Most NASCAR teams begin a new week with a Monday morning race review involving the driver, crew chief and car owner. It had to be a rough morning for Darrell Wallace Jr. and Clint Bowyer, who both doomed their chances for a strong finish by missing a shift during the race.