Kasey Kahne got the jump on Jeff Gordon off the final restart with two laps left and pulled away to win at Pocono Raceway.
Kahne had the car to beat for the final half of Sunday's 400-mile race until a late caution bunched up the field. Gordon, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, took the lead and seemed poised to win his first race of the season. After the final caution, Kahne was strong enough this time off the restart in the No. 5 Chevrolet.
Kahne also won at Bristol this season. His win helped solidify his spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Gordon finished second on his 42nd birthday. Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five.
Kahne, Gordon and Earnhardt made it a strong day for Hendrick. Teammate and series points leader Jimmie Johnson was 13th after a blown tire knocked him out of the lead.
Gordon, who is fighting for a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, beat Kahne on a restart with eight laps remaining to take the lead. He looked like he was cruising to his first win of the year when Matt Kenseth crashed, bringing out a caution flag with four laps remaining.
On the final restart, Gordon pulled away at the green flag, but Kahne quickly ran him down and blasted to his outside in Pocono’s notorious Tunnel Turn.
Gordon wound up second followed by Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski.
The 1-2 finish was big for both Kahne and Gordon, who entered the race 1-2, respectively, in the battle to make the 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kahne’s second win of the year gives him a big advantage should he fall out of the top 10 in points and need a wild card to make the Chase.
Kahne held a 7.6-second lead when a caution flag flew for debris with 12 laps remaining, giving Gordon a shot to take the lead.
Kahne held the lead when the leaders began pitting under green for the final time around Lap 32. When the cycle of green-lap stops were complete, Kahne led teammates Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon by about six seconds.
The race was an action-packed event featuring several dramatic crashes.
Rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya crashed on the very first lap when Montoya appeared to slide into Stenhouse’s car. Matt Kenseth also got a piece of the crash.
Denny Hamlin then crashed on Lap 14, knocking him out of the race and continuing a miserable season that saw him miss four races with a back injury.
Johnson started on the pole and dominated the early stages of the race but had a tire problem and crashed on Lap 78. After pitting several times for repairs, he returned to the race in 28th place.
Danica Patrick was running well on Lap 110 when she got loose and ran into Travis Kvapil, causing a four-car crash that also collected Jeff Burton and Paul Menard.
Kenseth, who had struggled since the Lap-1 wreck wrecked again when he lost control of his car and spun with four laps remaining.
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Kahne had the car to beat for the final half of Sunday's 400-mile race until a late caution bunched up the field. Gordon, his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, took the lead and seemed poised to win his first race of the season. After the final caution, Kahne was strong enough this time off the restart in the No. 5 Chevrolet.
Kahne also won at Bristol this season. His win helped solidify his spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Gordon finished second on his 42nd birthday. Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five.
Kahne, Gordon and Earnhardt made it a strong day for Hendrick. Teammate and series points leader Jimmie Johnson was 13th after a blown tire knocked him out of the lead.
Gordon, who is fighting for a spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, beat Kahne on a restart with eight laps remaining to take the lead. He looked like he was cruising to his first win of the year when Matt Kenseth crashed, bringing out a caution flag with four laps remaining.
On the final restart, Gordon pulled away at the green flag, but Kahne quickly ran him down and blasted to his outside in Pocono’s notorious Tunnel Turn.
Gordon wound up second followed by Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski.
The 1-2 finish was big for both Kahne and Gordon, who entered the race 1-2, respectively, in the battle to make the 12-driver Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kahne’s second win of the year gives him a big advantage should he fall out of the top 10 in points and need a wild card to make the Chase.
Kahne held a 7.6-second lead when a caution flag flew for debris with 12 laps remaining, giving Gordon a shot to take the lead.
Kahne held the lead when the leaders began pitting under green for the final time around Lap 32. When the cycle of green-lap stops were complete, Kahne led teammates Earnhardt Jr. and Gordon by about six seconds.
The race was an action-packed event featuring several dramatic crashes.
Rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Juan Pablo Montoya crashed on the very first lap when Montoya appeared to slide into Stenhouse’s car. Matt Kenseth also got a piece of the crash.
Denny Hamlin then crashed on Lap 14, knocking him out of the race and continuing a miserable season that saw him miss four races with a back injury.
Johnson started on the pole and dominated the early stages of the race but had a tire problem and crashed on Lap 78. After pitting several times for repairs, he returned to the race in 28th place.
Danica Patrick was running well on Lap 110 when she got loose and ran into Travis Kvapil, causing a four-car crash that also collected Jeff Burton and Paul Menard.
Kenseth, who had struggled since the Lap-1 wreck wrecked again when he lost control of his car and spun with four laps remaining.
Go Check out all of our social media
– You can now follow me (Andy) on my Twitter account is at https://twitter.com/AR_Official_94
_ You can like me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AR_Official/244148072390274
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