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06.07.15
Axalta 400 Race-Report
Date: June 7, 2015
Event: Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 (Round 14 of 36)
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Location: Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Start/Finish: 22nd/37th (Running, completed 153 of 160 laps)
Point Standing: 20th (328 points, 231 out of first)
Winner: Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing (Chevrolet)
After running inside the top-10 in Sunday’s Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Danica Patrick and the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS team for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) ended up 37th when the checkered flag waved due to a late-race incident that left her seven laps down.
“I was trying the best I could to get back into the top-10, and the car just hopped the wall,” Patrick said of the lap-136 accident. “We were having a great race, and I hate that wrecked our day.”
While the race ended on a sour note, Patrick started the event from the 22nd position and worked her way into the top-20 by lap three. She was scored 16th at lap 32 following a round of green-flag pit stops and cracked the top-15 at lap 46.
When the caution flag waved for the second time at lap 68, Patrick radioed to the team that the car didn’t have great short-run speed but seemed to be pretty good as the run went on. The team made only minor air pressure adjustments throughout the race to help improve the car’s handling.
As the race progressed, various fuel-mileage strategies began to take shape. Patrick lined up 10th for a lap-92 restart and, following a quick caution, raced her way up to sixth at lap 97. She remained in the top-10 until the team pitted at lap 122 for four tires and fuel. Differing pit strategies put several cars ahead of the No. 10 GoDaddy Chevrolet SS, and Patrick was scored in the 11th position when the field took the green flag again at lap 125.
Patrick dropped to 14th and then raced her way to 11th by lap 133. As she tried to advance back into the top-10, the GoDaddy Chevrolet SS made contact with the outside wall at lap 136. The subsequent damage caused the sheet metal to cut down the right-rear tire; as a result, Patrick spun in turn one and the car’s right-rear corner hit the wall.
She was able to get the car back to pit road, where the GoDaddy team assessed the damage and went to work on the car. Patrick rejoined the field at lap 140, but less than 15 laps later another flat tire sent Patrick spinning off of turn three. She impressively maneuvered the car to pit road, and the team changed all four tires. Patrick completed the remaining laps and gained one position to finish 37th.
“I’m proud of the whole team’s effort today,” crew chief Daniel Knost said. “The car handled well and Danica did a great job of running solidly in the top-10 for a good bit of the race. The wreck was unfortunate, but everyone worked together to get the car back on the track and finish out the race. And that was really important.”
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Budweiser/Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS, led the four-car SHR contingent Sunday at Pocono by finishing second.
Harvick started fifth and led three times for 39 laps around the 2.5-mile triangle to bring his laps-led total this season to a series-best 1,162. This mark eclipses Harvick’s laps-led total for every one of his Sprint Cup seasons with the exception of last year when he led 2,137 laps en route to the Sprint Cup championship. This was Harvick’s 10th top-two finish in the 14 races run this season and his seventh top-five in 29 career Sprint Cup starts at Pocono.
Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet SS for SHR, started from the pole and finished fifth to earn his 12th top-five in 28 career Sprint Cup starts at Pocono.
Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1/Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet SS for SHR, finished 21st after starting 28th.
Martin Truex Jr. won the Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 to score his third career Sprint Cup victory, his first this season and his first at Pocono.
Harvick finished 1.346 seconds behind Truex, while Jimmie Johnson, Joey Logano and Busch rounded out the top-five. Matt Kenseth, Jamie McMurray, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin comprised the remainder of the top-10.
There were eight caution periods for 31 laps, with five drivers failing to finish the 160-lap race.
With round 14 of 36 complete, Harvick leads SHR in the championship point standings. He is first with 559 points, 39 ahead of second-place Truex. Kurt Busch is 12th with 379 points, 180 out of first. Patrick is 20th with 328 points, 231 out of first. Stewart is 27th with 253 points, 306 out of first.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Michigan 400 on Sunday, June 14 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by FOX Sports 1.
-SHR-