With the cat away, Biffle wins

LONG POND, PA - JUNE 04: Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 3M Ford, stands on pit road during qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono Raceway on June 4, 2010 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)Rain, a terrifying crash and late pit strategy were all a part of Sunday’s event at Pocono. In the end Greg Biffle took two tires and cruised to a victory while team owner Jack Roush was hospitalized due to injuries suffered in a plane crash earlier this week.

Biffles last wins came in 2008 when he had back to back wins at New Hampshire and Dover to start that years Chase races. He had ran well last week at Indianapolis finishing third after taking four tires to the two tires the cars in front of him took.

At Pocono it was a reversal of those pit decisions that ultimately found the 40 year-old driver in victory lane. Biffle joked after the race that he hadn’t won in so long that he forgot what to do.

Biffle’s win was the first for Ford this year, and the first since Jamie McMurray’s win at Talladega last fall. On three occasions during Sunday’s race the driver of the #16 3M car took just two tires for track position. The final time placed him in second place behind Sam Hornish who had stayed out hoping for an early conclusion of the race due to rain.

Prior to the final round of pit stops Jimmie Johnson wrecked Kurt Busch in one of the three straightawayays on the track. Busch hit an inside wall on the track while Elliott Sadler who was running behind the two collided head on to a separate wall himself.

After a  lengthy red flag due to rain Biffle ran away from the field when the green flag dropped for the final time. Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards who also took just two tires finished second and third.

Prior to the last round of pit stops it looked like Jeff Gordon was the car to beat. His teammate Johnson looked good early on leading the long stretches of green that made up the first half of the race but faded a bit in the second half, thanks in part to pit strategy by others.

John Boarman
John Boarmanhttp://www.tireball.com
Founder and Owner of Tireball Sports.

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