Pocono NASCAR: Matt Kenseth wins, Joey Logano, Kyle Busch run dry
Matt Kenseth took a shock NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at Pocono as Joey Logano and Kyle Busch both ran out of fuel while leading
Logano, who led 97 of the 160 laps, seemed to have the race sewn up with three laps remaining until his Penske Ford began to jiggle and slow, allowing Kyle Busch to take up the lead.
Busch was aiming for a fourth race victory in a row, but he also ran dry into Turn 1 on the final lap, and Kenseth came to the fore and passed his limping Joe Gibbs team-mate to claim his second win of 2015.
Busch limped home 21st behind Logano, keeping him out of the top 30 in points. Because of his broken leg earlier in the season, he has special dispensation to access NASCAR's Chase playoff as long as he finishes in the top 30. The rest of the title contenders must finish in the top 20.
Brad Keselowski came through in second after a rollercoaster race. The Penske driver hit three of his pit crew when he over-ran his pit box, bringing about a penalty for a loose wheel in the pitlane. The crewmen involved continued to service the car for the rest of the race.
Jeff Gordon managed third in his final Pocono appearance before he retires at the end of the year, despite suffering with a poor car all day.
Hendrick team-mate Dale Earnhardt Jr rebounded from multiple issues on track and in the pitlane to finish fourth, with Greg Biffle rounding out the top five.
Stewart-Haas Racing had an awful day at the 'tricky triangle', starting with the demise of championship leader Kevin Harvick, who blew an engine early on while leading.
Kurt Busch also spent some time in the lead, but after pitstop strategy forced him back into the pack, he spun on a restart and was collected by Sam Hornish Jr on lap 65.
Tony Stewart did provide SOME consolation for the team that bears his name, with a top 10 finish in ninth.
The race was interrupted early on by a red flag after Kasey Kahne spun into the pitlane and caused damage to the wall. That delay and the high number of yellows led to the event running much longer than expected.
RESULTS - 160 LAPS:
| Pos | Driver | Team | Car | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3h01m36.s |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9.012s |
| 3 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.246s |
| 4 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.716s |
| 5 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.420s |
| 6 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.343s |
| 7 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 30.537s |
| 8 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 31.921s |
| 9 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 32.455s |
| 10 | Carl Edwards | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 34.974s |
| 11 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 12 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 13 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 14 | Landon Cassill | Hillman Smith Motorsports | Chevrolet | - |
| 15 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 16 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 17 | David Ragan | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | - |
| 18 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | - |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | - |
| 21 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | - |
| 22 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | - |
| 23 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 24 | Justin Allgaier | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | - |
| 25 | Alex Bowman | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 26 | Michael Annett | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | - |
| 27 | Cole Whitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | - |
| 28 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 29 | Matt DiBenedetto | BK Racing | Toyota | - |
| 30 | J.J. Yeley | BK Racing | Toyota | - |
| 31 | Brett Moffitt | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | - |
| 32 | Travis Kvapil | Go FAS Racing | Ford | - |
| 33 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | - |
| 34 | Reed Sorenson | Phil Parsons Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 35 | Jeb Burton | BK Racing | Toyota | - |
| 36 | Timmy Hill | Premium Motorsports | Ford | - |
| 37 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 38 | Alex Kennedy | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | - |
| 39 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | - |
| 40 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | - |
| 41 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | - |
| 42 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | - |
| 43 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | - |
LEADING CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
| Pos | Driver | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kevin Harvick | 780 |
| 2 | Joey Logano | 734 |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 717 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 713 |
| 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 694 |
| 6 | Brad Keselowski | 681 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 662 |
| 8 | Jamie McMurray | 631 |
| 9 | Kurt Busch | 620 |
| 10 | Jeff Gordon | 617 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | 614 |
| 12 | Paul Menard | 591 |
| 13 | Ryan Newman | 584 |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | 574 |
| 15 | Kasey Kahne | 559 |
| 16 | Carl Edwards | 553 |
| 17 | Aric Almirola | 534 |
| 18 | Greg Biffle | 502 |
| 19 | Kyle Larson | 485 |
| 20 | Austin Dillon | 484 |
| 21 | Casey Mears | 467 |
| 22 | Danica Patrick | 462 |
| 23 | A.J. Allmendinger | 460 |
| 24 | David Ragan | 440 |
| 25 | Tony Stewart | 417 |
| 26 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 390 |
| 27 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 383 |
| 28 | Trevor Bayne | 370 |
| 29 | Justin Allgaier | 337 |
| 30 | David Gilliland | 331 |
| 31 | Cole Whitt | 331 |
| 32 | Kyle Busch | 318 |
| 33 | Brett Moffitt | 279 |
| 34 | Alex Bowman | 264 |
| 35 | Michael Annett | 248 |
PROVISIONALLY IN THE CHASE: Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr
* Kyle Busch needs to get into the top 30 in points to take up a Chase place, despite wins
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