2015 Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 36 in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season | |||
 | |||
| Date | June 7, 2015 | ||
| Location | Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (640 km) | ||
| Weather | Clear blue skies with a temperature of 68 °F (20 °C); wind out of the southeast at 9 mph (14 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 134.266 mph (216.080 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing | ||
| Time | 50.676 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | |
| Laps | 97 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
2.3/4 (Overnight)[11] 2.4/4 (Final)[12] 3.6 Million viewers[12] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1), Mike Bagley (2) and Kyle Rickey (3) | ||
The 2015 Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on June 7, 2015, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Contested over 160 laps on the 2.5 mile (4 km) triangular superspeedway, it was the 14th race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Martin Truex Jr. won the race, while Kevin Harvick finished second, Jimmie Johnson finished third, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.
Kurt Busch won the pole for the race. He failed to lead a lap. Truex led the most laps for the fourth consecutive race in leading 97 laps. He took the lead with 36 laps to go and scored the victory. The race had twelve lead changes among six different drivers, as well as eight caution flag periods for 31 laps.
This was the third career win for Martin Truex Jr. and first since the 2013 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. It was the second win for Furniture Row Racing and first since the 2011 Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Despite the win, he left Pocono trailing Kevin Harvick by 39 points in the drivers standings. Chevrolet left with a 59-point lead over Ford in the manufacturer standings.
The Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 was carried by Fox Sports on the cable/satellite Fox Sports 1 network for the American television audience. The radio broadcast for the race was carried by the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
Report
Background
Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway) also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond. It is the site of two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held just weeks apart in June and August, and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event in August. Since 2013, the track is also host to a Verizon IndyCar Series race.
Pocono is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation, the dominant track owners in NASCAR. It is run by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli. Mattco also owns South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia.
Outside of the NASCAR races, Pocono is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
Kevin Harvick entered Pocono with a 44-point lead over Martin Truex Jr. following a runner-up finish at Dover. Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano entered 76 back. Dale Earnhardt Jr. entered 84 back.
Pit crew apparel
Beginning this weekend, all pit crew members were required to wear specially made gloves, head socks and underwear that are certified by the SFI Foundation.[13] Previously, only the gas can man was required to wear all these items.
Entry list
The entry list for the Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 was released on Monday, June 1 at 4:45 p.m. Eastern time. Forty-three cars were entered for the race. This was the first race this season in which nobody failed to qualify for the race. The two driver changes from the previous race to this race were the No. 32 Go FAS Racing Ford that was driven by Travis Kvapil and the No. 33 Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet that was driven by Ty Dillon.
First practice
Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 50.867 and a speed of 176.932 mph (284.744 km/h).[14] Eighty-five minutes into the session, Tony Stewart got loose exiting turn 2, slid down and crashed into the tire barrier on the inside wall.[14] Stewart told Fox Sports 1, “I was already past the bump (from the tunnel turn), got loose on the exit of it and I couldn’t catch it. So, driver error.”[14] The damage sustained forced the team to roll out their backup car.[14] Because this change took place prior to qualifying, he won't be required to start the race from the rear of the field.[14]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 50.867 | 176.932 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50.913 | 176.772 |
| 3 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50.929 | 176.717 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
“It’s something we are going to look at,’’ O’Donnell said. “In this case is it the right decision to have a driver, not on purpose, cause a caution and therefore they qualify ahead of … drivers who may have not been able to go out and qualify? Some folks could say that’s on them, they should have gone out earlier, but you also look at it if that is the right move. We’re taking a hard look at that this weekend. We’ve had some dialogue with some of the industry and we’ll make a decision here shortly.’’
NASCAR Executive Vice-President Steve O'Donnell speaking on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.[15]
Kurt Busch won the pole with a time of 50.676 and a speed of 177.599 mph (285.818 km/h).[16] “Wow, what a day, today,” Busch said. “I feel like there are six corners out there as hard as I was working; corner entry, corner exit. The car was just off-balance, especially with the new bumps in Turn 2. And then we got way loose. I think we were 30th in practice. And we had to drop back and punt. (Danica Patrick’s crew chief) Daniel Knost, his set-up, is what we reverted to from last year when we qualified outside pole. So, that’s what it’s all about, team communication and working hard together as a group.”[16] “Yeah, I was just disappointed that we didn’t have great speed,” Brad Keselowski said after qualifying seventh. “I’m not really sure why, but that’s just part of it.”[16] Only seven drivers posted a time in the final round after Denny Hamlin spun out in turn 1.[16] The session was stopped with 39 seconds remaining. Because no one would be able to make it around in the remaining time to start a qualifying lap, the session was concluded.[16] “The circumstances though, I’d like to see everybody finish their lap,” Busch said. “I always thought they should freeze the time when somebody spins. That way everybody still gets to get back out there and make their lap."[16]
Questions were raised over Denny Hamlin getting placed ahead of the other four drivers that didn't post a time in the third round since his spin caused the session to end prematurely.[15] In his weekly appearance on the Sirius XM NASCAR Radio program The Morning Drive the Tuesday after the race, NASCAR Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Steve O'Donnell discussed with Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone about changing that particular policy.[15]
Qualifying results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 51.116 | 51.055 | 50.676 |
| 2 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50.851 | 50.996 | 50.690 |
| 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 50.873 | 50.912 | 50.698 |
| 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.725 | 51.006 | 50.787 |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 50.693 | 50.645 | 50.790 |
| 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50.872 | 50.904 | 50.984 |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 51.215 | 51.124 | 51.146 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50.863 | 50.654 | 0.000 |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.960 | 50.737 | 0.000 |
| 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50.718 | 50.792 | 0.000 |
| 11 | 22 | Joey Logano[N 1] | Team Penske | Ford | 51.001 | 50.905 | 0.000 |
| 12 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.017 | 51.116 | 0.000 |
| 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 50.950 | 51.126 | — |
| 14 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 51.054 | 51.135 | — |
| 15 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 51.232 | 51.153 | — |
| 16 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.094 | 51.167 | — |
| 17 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 51.429 | 51.224 | — |
| 18 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 50.986 | 51.232 | — |
| 19 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.327 | 51.273 | — |
| 20 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.044 | 51.292 | — |
| 21 | 55 | David Ragan | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 51.317 | 51.306 | — |
| 22 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 51.280 | 51.478 | — |
| 23 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 51.452 | 51.654 | — |
| 24 | 9 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 51.432 | 51.778 | — |
| 25 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 51.490 | — | — |
| 26 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 51.496 | — | — |
| 27 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 51.522 | — | — |
| 28 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 51.531 | — | — |
| 29 | 33 | Ty Dillon (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.630 | — | — |
| 30 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.715 | — | — |
| 31 | 46 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.762 | — | — |
| 32 | 40 | Landon Cassill (i) | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 51.792 | — | — |
| 33 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 51.815 | — | — |
| 34 | 7 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 51.900 | — | — |
| 35 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 52.184 | — | — |
| 36 | 34 | Brett Moffitt (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 52.193 | — | — |
| 37 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 52.329 | — | — |
| 38 | 98 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 52.360 | — | — |
| 39 | 35 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 52.401 | — | — |
| 40 | 26 | Jeb Burton (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 52.748 | — | — |
| 41 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 53.116 | — | — |
| 42 | 32 | Travis Kvapil (i) | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 53.216 | — | — |
| 43 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 0.000 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | |||||||
Practice (post-qualifying)
Second practice
Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the second practice session with a time of 51.236 and a speed of 175.658 mph (282.694 km/h).[17]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 51.236 | 175.658 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.254 | 175.596 |
| 3 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.255 | 175.593 |
| Official second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 51.144 and a speed of 175.974 mph (283.203 km/h).[18]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 51.144 | 175.974 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 51.343 | 175.292 |
| 3 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.454 | 174.914 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Race
First half
Start
The race was scheduled to start at 1:20 p.m., but started one minute later when Kurt Busch led the field to the green flag. He didn't lead the first lap, however, as Carl Edwards passed him in turn 1. Jeff Gordon puled to within a car length of him, but began pulling away from the field after a few laps. By lap 14, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick reeled in Edwards. After a few attempts at him, Truex made the pass on Edwards and took the lead on lap 16. Brad Keselowski, running seventh, made an unscheduled stop on lap 21. He rejoined the race 37th. This triggered a wave of cars making this first pit stops of the race. Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano and Paul Menard were tagged for speeding on pit road. Kenseth and Logano were forced to serve a drive-through penalty. Menard was forced to serve a stop-go penalty for speeding in all sections after his pit box. He had to come a second time for speeding again. He cut down his left-front tire and came down pit road for a third time. Truex, Jr. made his first pit stop on lap 29 and handed the lead to Edwards. Edwards pitted on lap 30 and handed the lead to Kasey Kahne, who made his stop on lap 32. Then the lead was given back to Kevin Harvick.[19]
Second quarter
Debris on the front stretch brought out the first caution on lap 49. The debris was a piece of the splitter from Menard's car. Truex exited pit road with the lead by taking just two tires.[19]
The race restarted on lap 55. Truex's lead over Harvick began to shrink by lap 65. The second caution flew on lap 69 when Ricky Stenhouse Jr., going into the tunnel turn, dove into the corner to try passing Casey Mears, got loose, overcorrected, and slammed the wall.[20] "The brakes were getting hot and we were having to pump them up," Stenhouse said. "They kind of maintained the first run and everything felt OK. I was still having to pump it up and on that last run I was having to pump them up three or four times, and then when the 13 (Mears) got into us down the back straightaway I was too busy catching it and too busy being sideways, and then once I finally caught it I didn't have time to pump up the brakes and the brakes went to the floor. Then I was just trying to make it through the corner without hitting anybody else and tried to keep it out of the wall, but didn't quite do it."[21] Harvick chose not to pit, so he had the lead under the caution.[19]
Second half
Halfway
The race restarted on lap 74. The third caution of the race flew on lap 88 when Jimmie Johnson cut down his left-front tire in turn 2. He was able to get his car down to the bottom of the track. Austin Dillon chose not to pit under the caution, so he assumed the lead.[19]
The race restarted with on lap 93. Gordon passed Dillon going into turn 1 and took the lead. The fourth caution flew the same lap when Alex Bowman, going into turn 3, got turned by Brett Moffitt and spun. Gordon pitted and handed the lead to Martin Truex Jr.[19]
The race restarted on lap 97. The fifth caution of the race flew with 39 laps to go for a single car wreck in turn 1. Going into 1, Sam Hornish Jr. cut a tire and slammed the wall hard.[22]
Fourth quarter
The race restarted with 35 laps to go. The sixth caution of the race flew with 32 laps to go for a single car wreck in turn 1. As Moffitt was riding the high line in 1, Brad Keselowski hit him in the left rear corner and sent the No. 34 car spinning. Tony Stewart was tagged for an uncontrolled tire and was forced to restart the race from the rear of the field.[19]
The race restarted with 27 laps to go. The seventh caution of the race flew for a single car wreck in turn 1. After making hard contact with the wall exiting turn 4, Danica Patrick cut down the right-rear tire and backed into the turn 1 wall.[23] "I was trying the best I could to get back into the top-10, and the car just hopped the wall," Patrick said. "We were having a great race, and I hate that wrecked our day.”[23]
The race restarted with 21 laps to go. The eighth caution of the race flew with 20 laps to go for a single car wreck in turn 1. Going through the corner, A. J. Allmendinger got loose, drifted up the track, tapped Ryan Newman and sent him right into the wall.[19]
The race restarted with 16 laps to go. Patrick spun out exiting turn 3, but because she spun into pit road, the race remained green. Truex Jr. pulled away from the field to snap a 69 race winless streak.[24]
Post-race
Post-race comments
“It feels unbelievable,” Truex said. “I knew we were going to get one. Everyone kept asking when are you going to get one. I knew we were going to win. I knew we had the team and what it took. I feel that I’m on Cloud Nine right now. The last year and a half have been pretty tough, but this feels real good. It never gets any better than this. It takes time to heal things especially with what Sherry and I went through. This just kind of makes you forget all about it. Tomorrow we are still going back to normal life and we always try to remember that and be ourselves and remember why we are here. And how thankful we are to be here and how lucky we are to be doing this. I just feel super blessed to be with this group of guys.”[25]
“I think everybody is probably frustrated that we didn't win, but I think it's frustrated in a good way,” Harvick said of his latest second-place finish on Sunday. “It's very rare that you can come to the racetrack and be in those positions every week. I think when you look at the just like today, we were literally coming to pit road when the caution flag flew and never really made up those ten spots that we lost, and struggled on the restarts to get going. I think as you look at the situations, I think second is better than tenth.”[26]
Jimmie Johnson rallied from a cut tire and brushing the wall to finish third.[27] “Today we really didn't have pace for the 78 (Truex Jr.) or the 4 (Harvick), so we've got to get to work there,” Johnson said. “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. To get a good result, we overcame a lot today, having to deal with a flat tire, the damage to the car, and then I got to third. We'll take it. Scrappy day for us, but not the end of the world, either.”[28]
Jimmie Johnson had some words of congrats for the race winner. "He's had more to overcome personally and professionally than probably anybody sitting in that seat right now," Johnson said. "For him to still walk in the garage every week with a smile on his face, climb in the car, be the great guy he is, I think speak volumes. It's a very popular win."[29]
Race results
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 48 |
| 2 | 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 43 |
| 3 | 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 41 |
| 4 | 11 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 160 | 40 |
| 5 | 1 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 39 |
| 6 | 19 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 38 |
| 7 | 14 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 37 |
| 8 | 15 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 36 |
| 9 | 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 35 |
| 10 | 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 34 |
| 11 | 20 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 33 |
| 12 | 27 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 160 | 32 |
| 13 | 12 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 32 |
| 14 | 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 31 |
| 15 | 2 | 19 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 30 |
| 16 | 18 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 28 |
| 17 | 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 160 | 27 |
| 18 | 29 | 33 | Ty Dillon (i) | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 |
| 19 | 6 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 26 |
| 20 | 30 | 51 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 24 |
| 21 | 28 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 23 |
| 22 | 23 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 160 | 22 |
| 23 | 21 | 55 | David Ragan | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 160 | 21 |
| 24 | 33 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 160 | 20 |
| 25 | 32 | 40 | Landon Cassill (i) | Hillman-Circle Sport LLC | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 |
| 26 | 34 | 7 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 18 |
| 27 | 35 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 17 |
| 28 | 39 | 35 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 16 |
| 29 | 38 | 98 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 159 | 15 |
| 30 | 36 | 34 | Brett Moffitt (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 158 | 14 |
| 31 | 16 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 13 |
| 32 | 41 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 158 | 12 |
| 33 | 40 | 26 | Jeb Burton (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 158 | 11 |
| 34 | 31 | 46 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 158 | 10 |
| 35 | 42 | 32 | Travis Kvapil (i) | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 157 | 0 |
| 36 | 37 | 23 | J. J. Yeley (i) | BK Racing | Toyota | 155 | 0 |
| 37 | 22 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 153 | 7 |
| 38 | 26 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 143 | 6 |
| 39 | 13 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 141 | 5 |
| 40 | 43 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan (i) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 129 | 0 |
| 41 | 24 | 9 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 120 | 3 |
| 42 | 17 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 105 | 2 |
| 43 | 25 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 88 | 1 |
| Official Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 results | |||||||
Race statistics
- 12 lead changes among 6 different drivers
- 8 cautions for 31 laps
- Time of race: 2 hours, 58 minutes, 45 seconds
- Average speed: 134.266 mph (216.080 km/h)
- Martin Truex Jr. took home $201,810 in winnings
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Race awards
- Coors Light Pole Award: Kurt Busch (50.676, 177.599 mph (285.818 km/h))
- 3M Lap Leader: Martin Truex Jr. (97 laps)
- American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Martin Truex Jr.
- Duralast Brakes "Bake In The Race" Award: Kevin Harvick
- Freescale "Wide Open": Kevin Harvick
- Ingersoll Rand Power Move: Jeff Gordon (6 positions)
- MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Hendrick Engines, #4
- Mobil 1 Driver of the Race: Martin Truex Jr. (147.0 driver rating)
- Moog Steering and Suspension Problem Solver of The Race: Joey Logano (crew chief Todd Gordon (0.412))
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Leader Bonus: No winner: rolls over to $110,000 at next event
- Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap: Kyle Busch (Lap 101, 51.852, 173.570 mph (279.334 km/h))
- Sunoco Rookie of The Race: Brett Moffitt
Media
Television
Fox Sports covered their seventh race at Pocono Raceway and first since 2006. Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and four-time Pocono winner Darrell Waltrip had the call in the booth for the race. Jamie Little, Chris Neville and Matt Yocum handled the pit road duties for the television side.
| Fox Sports 1 | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Larry McReynolds Color-commentator: Darrell Waltrip | Jamie Little Chris Neville Matt Yocum |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle called the race in the booth when the field was racing down the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from atop a billboard outside of turn 1 when the field was racing through turn 1.[30][31] Mike Bagley called the race from a billboard outside turn 2 when the field was racing through turn 2.[32][33] Kyle Rickey called the race from a billboard outside turn 3 when the field was racing through turn 3. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post worked pit road for MRN.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle | Turn 1: Dave Moody Turn 2: Mike Bagley Turn 3: Kyle Rickey | Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post |
Standings after the race
|
 Kevin Harvick left Pocono with a 39-point lead over Martin Truex Jr.
|
Note
- ↑ Joey Logano changed rear-end gears and started the race from the rear of the field.
References
- ↑ "2015 NASCAR Schedule" (PDF). NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 26, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ↑ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 1, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ↑ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 5, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Second Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. June 7, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. NASCAR Statistics. June 7, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications. June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ↑ Paulsen (June 8, 2015). "NASCAR Pocono Overnights Down in Move From TNT to FS1". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- 1 2 Paulsen (June 9, 2015). "NASCAR From Pocono Least-Watched in Years on FS1". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- ↑ Spencer, Lee (June 5, 2015). "A safer approach to pit road". Motorsport.com. Motorsport.com, Inc. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bonkowski, Jerry (June 5, 2015). "Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch fastest in Friday Sprint Cup practice at Pocono". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- 1 2 3 Long, Dustin (June 9, 2015). "NASCAR looking at slight alteration with qualifying rule". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wackerlin, Jeff (June 5, 2015). "Kurt Busch Wins Pocono Pole". MRN.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motor Racing Network. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
- ↑ Bonkowski, Jerry (June 6, 2015). "Harvick, Earnhardt, Edwards fastest in morning Sprint Cup practice at Pocono". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ↑ Bonkowski, Jerry (June 6, 2015). "Kevin Harvick fastest in practice for third time at Pocono". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "2015 Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400". Sprint Cup Series. Season 67. Long Pond, Pennsylvania. June 14, 2015. Event occurs at 1:21 p.m. Fox Sports. Fox Sports 1. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- ↑ Bonkowski, Jerry (June 7, 2015). "Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr. running 1-2 halfway through Sprint Cup race at Pocono". nascartalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ Pennell, Jay (June 7, 2015). "Stenhouse Jr.'s miserable 2015 continues with Pocono wreck". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ↑ Pennell, Jay (June 7, 2015). "Sam Hornish Jr. blows tire, clobbers inside wall at Pocono Raceway". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- 1 2 Pennell, Jay (June 7, 2015). "Promising run goes awry for Patrick with late wreck at Pocono". FoxSports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ↑ Gluck, Jeff (June 7, 2015). "Martin Truex Jr. wins at Pocono for first victory in nearly two years". USA Today. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ Wackerlin, Jeff (June 7, 2015). "Truex Jr. Back in Victory Lane". MRN.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motor Racing Network. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ Pistone, Pete (June 7, 2015). "Harvick Second...Again". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ Albert, Zach (June 7, 2015). "Johnson overcomes hurdles for third-place finish at Pocono". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ Wackerlin, Jeff (June 7, 2015). "Johnson Rebounds for Third". MRN.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motor Racing Network. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ Gelston, Dan (June 7, 2015). "Truex breaks through at Pocono for 1st win since 2013". AP Sports. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Associated Press. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ↑ Dave Moody [DGodfatherMoody] (June 7, 2015). "The view to the left... #AskMRN" (Tweet). Retrieved June 7, 2015 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Dave Moody [DGodfatherMoody] (July 7, 2015). "...and the right. #AskMRN" (Tweet). Retweeted by Motor Racing Network. Retrieved June 7, 2015 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Mike Bagley [TheMikeBagley] (June 7, 2015). "View to my left. @poconoraceway @MRNRadio #AskMRN" (Tweet). Retweeted by Motor Racing Network. Retrieved June 7, 2015 – via Twitter.
- ↑ Mike Bagley [TheMikeBagley] (June 7, 2015). "View to my right. @poconoraceway @MRNRadio #AskMRN" (Tweet). Retrieved June 7, 2015 – via Twitter.
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