2010 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500

2010 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Race details
Race 21 of 36 in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season

Pocono Raceway, where the race was held.
Date August 1, 2010 (2010-08-01)
Official name Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500
Location Pocono Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course Permanent racing facility
2.500 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.67 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching up to 77.0 °F (25.0 °C); average wind speeds of 7.0 miles per hour (11.3 km/h)[1]
Pole position
Driver
Stewart-Haas Racing
Time 52.511
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 96
Winner
No. 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Marty Reid, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree

The 2010 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on August 1, 2010 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Contested over 200 laps, it was the twenty-first race of the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season. Greg Biffle, driving for Roush Fenway Racing, won the race[2] while Tony Stewart finished second, and Carl Edwards, who started twenty-fifth, clinched third.

Race report

Background

Prior to the race, Kevin Harvick led the Drivers' Championship with 2,920 points, and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon was second with 2,736 points. Behind them in the Drivers' Championship, Denny Hamlin was third with 2,660 points, and Jimmie Johnson was fourth with 2,659 points. Kurt Busch was fifth with 2,658 points.[3] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 143 points, twenty points ahead of their rival Toyota. In the battle for third place, Ford had 90 points, six ahead of Dodge.[4]

Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race, one on Friday and two on Saturday.[5] The first practice session will last 90 minutes, while the Saturday morning will last 50 minutes.[5] The third and final practice session will last 60 minutes.[5] During the first practice session, Jimmie Johnson was quickest, ahead of Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman in second and third.[6] Kyle Busch followed in the fourth position, while Tony Stewart was scored fifth.[6] During the first Saturday practice session, Jeff Gordon was scored first fastest, ahead of his teammate Johnson and Kevin Harvick in second and third.[7] Jeff Burton followed in the fourth position, ahead of Greg Biffle in fifth.[7] In the third and final practice session, Burton was quickest with a speed of 166.936 miles per hour (268.657 km/h).[8] Joey Logano and Johnson followed in the second and third positions.[8] Reed Sorenson scored fourth, ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in fifth.[8]

During qualifying, forty-five drivers were entered, but only the fastest forty-three raced because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.[9] Stewart clinched the pole position, with a time of 52.511.[10] He will be joined on the front row of the grid by Juan Pablo Montoya.[10] Hamlin only managed to qualify third, and Gordon qualified fourth.[10] Newman qualified fifth with a time of 52.961.[10] Johnson, A. J. Allmendinger, Burton, Jamie McMurray and Mark Martin rounded off the top ten.[10] The two drivers that did not qualify were David Stremme and Max Papis.[10]

Race summary

The start of the race was delayed by rain to 1:54 PM.[11]

At the drop of the green flag, Tony Stewart got a good start, and led for three laps before Jeff Gordon overtook him on the Long Pond straightaway. Over the first fifteen laps, there was a significant amount of shuffling further back in the field as Gordon led.[11] On lap 15, a preplanned competition caution was thrown. Gordon continued to lead at the green flag on lap 19, but was passed a lap later by Greg Biffle. Biffle led for two laps before being overtaken by Jimmie Johnson. Biffle was shuffled back to fourth as Gordon and Jeff Burton passed him. By lap 28, Johnson was leading by 1.5 seconds over Gordon.[11]

On lap 34, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. got loose in turn 2 but saved his car, and the green flag stayed out. From lap 45 to lap 50, the field cycled through green flag pit stops. When the cycle was completed, Johnson was still leading, and put David Gilliland one lap down. Elliott Sadler was also penalized for speeding with a pass-through penalty. A second cycle of green flag pit stops began on lap 75. Jimmie Johnson was still leading until he pitted on lap 78, giving Jeff Gordon the lead. Gordon led for one lap, as did Carl Edwards, during this cycle of stops. Their leads were brief, as Johnson reclaimed the lead at the conclusion of the cycle. He continued to lead until Gordon overtook him on lap 120.

One lap later, the second caution was thrown for debris. Earnhardt, Jr. received the free pass under this caution, having just been put a lap down by Johnson. A two tire stop during caution flag pit stops allowed Greg Biffle to assume the lead. Rain could be seen approaching the track.[11] Biffle led the field to the green flag on lap 126. He led for two laps. On lap 128, Jeff Gordon overtook Biffle in turn 2, then on the Short Chute was overtaken by Denny Hamlin. Hamlin continued to lead until lap 145, when debris in turn one brought out the third caution. Regan Smith received the free pass. Juan Pablo Montoya stayed out and assumed the lead when the field restarted on lap 150.[11] Over the next three laps, the lead would change several times between Gordon and Montoya, until Gordon obtained a solid lead on lap 153. On lap 155, a NASCAR official reported that it was sprinkling in turn 3.[11]

On lap 158, the fourth caution was waved after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. spun in turn 1. Sam Hornish, Jr. received the free pass,[11] and Gordon continued to lead when the race restarted on lap 162.

Three laps after the restart, the fifth caution was waved because of a large crash in the Long Pond straightaway, which holds the record for hardest recorded impact in NASCAR history. It started when Kurt Busch spun after contact from Jimmie Johnson, got together with Clint Bowyer and then Busch spun into the wall. Elliott Sadler was spun by A.J. Allmendinger, and took a very extreme ride: his car went face-first into the inside wall (effectively the same as hitting the side of a building) at 160 miles per hour, at a nearly perpendicular angle. The entire front part of the car was torn apart. The engine was ripped from the car and parts from it scattered all across the track. The estimated G-forces were the highest seen in any car accident, and Sadler's car went from racing speed of 160 mph to about 20 mph in a braking distance of three feet. Amazingly, Sadler got out of the car and walked away under his own power, though he needed to lie down to get his breath again afterwards before taking the mandatory ambulance ride to the infield care center. Debris from both crashes required a 30-minute red flag for cleanup.

Memorable about the crash was the lack of camera angles for Sadler's crash: the crash occurred in a blind spot on the track. Although almost every camera had a good view of Kurt Busch's car, only one camera actually saw Sadler's impact, and even then, it was on the side of the screen and partially out of frame.[12] Due to rain that started to fall during the red flag, NASCAR decided to run the field under yellow for several laps to allow the track to dry. Most of the field pitted on lap 170, and Sam Hornish, Jr. received the lead. Seven laps later, the field was still running under yellow and the race was re-red flagged for 18 minutes.

Hornish led the cars to the green flag on lap 179, and was overtaken a lap later by Greg Biffle. Biffle got a strong lead, and led the last twenty laps to win the race and snap a 64 race winless streak.[11]

Results

Qualifying

Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Speed Time
1 14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 171.393 52.511
2 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 171.096 52.602
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 170.371 52.826
4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 170.222 52.872
5 39 Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 169.936 52.961
6 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 169.901 52.972
7 43 A.J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 169.879 52.979
8 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 169.770 53.013
9 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 169.696 53.036
10 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 169.613 53.062
11 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 169.543 53.084
12 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 169.447 53.114
13 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 169.440 53.116
14 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 169.163 53.203
15 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 169.122 53.216
16 9 Kasey Kahne Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 169.100 53.223
17 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 169.024 53.247
18 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 168.995 53.256
19 47 Marcos Ambrose JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 168.700 53.349
20 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 168.672 53.358
21 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 168.669 53.359
22 71 Bobby Labonte TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 168.602 53.380
23 98 Paul Menard Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 168.413 53.440
24 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 168.366 53.455
25 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 168.347 53.461
26 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 168.294 53.478
27 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 168.083 53.545
28 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 167.951 53.587
29 19 Elliott Sadler Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 167.813 53.631
30 46 J.J. Yeley Whitney Motorsports Dodge 167.629 53.690
31 83 Reed Sorenson Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 167.370 53.773
32 38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 167.330 53.786
33 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 167.156 53.842
34 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 166.988 53.896
35 09 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 166.988 53.896
36 55 Michael McDowell Prism Motorsports Toyota 166.979 53.899
37 37 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 166.457 54.068
38 66 Dave Blaney Prism Motorsports Toyota 166.392 54.089
39 36 Casey Mears Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 166.322 54.112
40 64 Todd Bodine Gunselman Motorsports Toyota 166.276 54.127
41 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 165.511 54.377
42 7 P.J. Jones Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 0 0
43 34 Kevin Conway Front Row Motorsports Ford 164.165 54.823
26 David Stremme Latitude 43 Motorsports Ford 165.386 54.418
13 Max Papis Germain Racing Toyota 165.026 54.537
Source:[10]

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Led Points
1 12 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 28 190
2 1 14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 200 2 175
3 25 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 1 170
4 14 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 160
5 3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 19 160
6 4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 39 155
7 10 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 146
8 8 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 142
9 28 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 200 0 138
10 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 96 144
11 15 77 Sam Hornish, Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 200 9 135
12 5 39 Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 200 0 127
13 23 98 Paul Menard Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 200 0 124
14 18 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 0 121
15 40 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 118
16 2 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 5 120
17 24 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 200 0 112
18 26 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 200 0 109
19 16 9 Kasey Kahne Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 200 0 106
20 11 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 200 0 103
21 34 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 200 0 100
22 9 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 200 0 97
23 21 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 0 94
24 7 43 A.J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 200 0 91
25 17 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 200 0 88
26 27 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 200 0 85
27 20 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 82
28 22 71 Bobby Labonte TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 79
29 32 38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 199 0 76
30 37 37 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 198 0 73
31 41 34 Kevin Conway Front Row Motorsports Ford 198 0 70
32 31 83 Reed Sorenson Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 171 0 67
33 13 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 164 0 64
34 29 19 Elliott Sadler Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 163 0 61
35 42 7 P.J. Jones Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 63 0 58
36 39 36 Casey Mears Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 62 0 55
37 43 64 Todd Bodine Gunselman Motorsports Toyota 49 0 52
38 30 46 J.J. Yeley Whitney Motorsports Dodge 48 1 54
39 19 47 Marcos Ambrose JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 46 0 46
40 33 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 42 0 43
41 35 09 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 32 0 40
42 38 66 Dave Blaney Prism Motorsports Toyota 24 0 37
43 36 55 Michael McDowell Prism Motorsports Toyota 23 0 34
Source:[2]

References

Wikinews has related news: Greg Biffle wins fifteenth career NASCAR Sprint Cup race
  1. ↑ "2010 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2013-06-09.
  2. 1 2 "2010 Official Race Results : Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 23 August 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  3. ↑ "Driver's Championship Classification". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 29 July 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  4. ↑ "Manufactures' Championship Classification". Jaski.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 "Event Schedule". poconoraceway.com. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  6. 1 2 "First Practice Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Second Practice Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 "Third Practice Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Qualifying Order". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 2 August 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Qualifying Results (Race Lineup)". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Race Summary". NASCAR. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  12. ↑ YouTube video of ESPN's race coverage of Sadler's crash
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