In only his second-ever Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway, Kyle Busch continued his outstanding recent run, winning Saturday’s Pocono Mountains 150.
Busch, who finished second in his previous Truck race at Pocono in 2011, dominated Saturday’s race, leading 53 of 69 laps. Busch finished the race with just enough fuel to barely make it the checkered flag and earn his 43rd career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory.
Kevin Harvick finished second, followed by new points leader Tyler Reddick, Cameron Hayley and Austin Dillon. Sixth through 10th were Johnny Sauter, Timothy Peters, Matt Tifft, Daniel Hemric and Erik Jones.
Originally a 60-lap scheduled event, the race went nine extra laps due to three attempts at a green-white-checker finish.
On Lap 59, Austin Dillon spun Erik Jones, taking the latter out of contention for the win and extending the race to the first of what would be three eventual green-white-checker situation.
Jones came to pit road for repairs and was back on-track on Lap 61 as the race went into overtime.
The most significant wreck of the race occurred early when, on Lap 6, Brad Keselowski ran into the rear of Matt Crafton’s truck, causing significant damage to both trucks.
MORE: Final results of Camping World Truck Series’ Pocono Mountains 150
MORE: Shake-up in Truck Series standings: Reddick takes No. 1 from Crafton, Jones still third
How Busch won: While he dominated the race, it was the final restart on what was a third attempt at a green-white-checker finish that did it for Busch. Once he cleared the pack, it was smooth sailing for him. Busch’s crew chief, Jerry Baxter, said after the race that his driver wound up going one additional lap than he thought he could on fuel. … Also of note, Harvick blocked Dillon from getting past him on the restart and potentially challenging for the lead.
Who else had a good race: It was a great day overall for Tyler Reddick. Not only did he finish third, he also took over the points lead from Matt Crafton. Reddick now leads Crafton by 11 points, while Erik Jones remained in third place, now 16 points behind Reddick and five points behind Crafton. … Kevin Harvick held off the rest of the field to finish second, while Reddick took over the points lead with his third-place finish. Erik Jones may have had a shot at the win had he not been spun by Austin Dillon on Lap 59. Jones recovered to finish 10th.
Who had a bad race: Matt Crafton not only was involved in a Lap 6 wreck with Brad Keselowski, he also lost the points lead. Crafton finished 28th. … Unlike Crafton, who had his truck repaired and managed to get back on-track for seven additional laps late in the race, Keselowski’s truck was too heavily damaged for him to return to the race. … Also, John Wes Townley and Mason Mingus were involved in a wreck on Lap 63, costing both a chance at a higher finish than they hoped for. Townley fell from fifth to sixth in the standings, as a result.
Notables: Saturday’s win marks the 10th consecutive season that Busch has won at least one race in all three NASCAR series in the same year. ... While it appeared Crafton would fall to third in the standings, his crew managed to repair his truck enough to get him back on-track to run seven additional laps (13 in total) late in the race to gain enough points to minimize the damage and put him in second place, 11 points behind Reddick, rather than third.
Quote of the day: “That’s your Cup champion. That’s pretty much an idiot right there.” – Matt Crafton, talking about Brad Keselowski, after their Lap 6 wreck in Saturday’s Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway.
Up next: The Truck Series will take a weekend off and return on Aug. 15 at Michigan International Speedway for the Careers For Veterans 200.
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