Pocono 500 Report

POCONO PROBLEMS ABOUND FOR THE WOOD BROTHERS / U.S. AIR FORCE TEAM 

LONG POND, PA — Bill Elliott qualified for the Pocono 500 in 29th position. However, he had to move to the back of the starting grid along with several other drivers who were also using their backup car rather than their primary used in qualifying. The Wood Brothers No. 21 was heavily damaged during the second lap of the qualifying run on Friday evening, June 6th. Elliott got loose in turn two, and the No. 21 U.S. Air Force Ford Fusion slid into the wall causing enough damage that the team decided to use the backup car and start the race in 42nd position.

By lap 10 of the race, Elliott radioed the crew that he was fighting a loose car and would try to run a different groove of the race track. Crew Chief Mike Smith radioed Bill and the crew that they would pit during the green flag on lap 28. As luck would have it, the caution flag waved on lap 27 for debris on the race track. Smith decided to make an adjustment to the left front shock and get four tires and fuel. Elliott restarted the race on lap 31 in the 39th position.

As the No. 21 team watched the race unfold, it appeared as if no one was passing and teams were not racing hard. Another caution came out on lap 41. The team decided to pit for two right side tires and fuel only in order to gain more track position since passing on the track was difficult.The pit crew was able to knock out the changes and sent him back onto the track in 33rd position gaining 7 spots with a 6.3 second pit stop time. Another caution flag flew on lap 46, and the team decided that the race car worked better with 4 fresh tires rather than two. So, they to changed four tires and add fuel. As the caution laps went on, Mike Smith decided to bring the No. 21 back down pit road to top off for fuel. Elliott restarted the race on lap 50 in the 42nd position.

As another caution flag flew on lap 57, Elliott radioed to the crew that the car was improving, and they decided to just pit for fuel only. The No. 21 restarted in 26th on lap 63. On lap 70, rain began to move into the area as it dampened the track. NASCAR decided to bring out the red flag on lap 71 to stop the race until the rain passed. After the track was dry and the race resumed on lap 72; Elliott was scored in the 28th position. Caution on lap 81 allowed the team to pit yet again for four tires and fuel. Yet, even with a decent pit stop Elliott restarted in the 32nd position on lap 86.

Half-way through the 200 lap event, Elliott was still reporting a loose handling race car. After several more caution flags and pit stops for adjustments, the team finally made progress as the green flag laps starting counting down and other teams were making green flag pit stops. The No. 21 team waited as long as possible to pit under the green flag hoping for a caution to occur. During the rotations of pit stops, Bill moved up as high as 12th position on lap 159.

On lap 165, the team had to take its turn to pit under green for four fresh tires, fuel and to make a track bar adjustment. Everything was successfully completed, and the No. 21 returned to green flag racing in 32nd position. Bill had worked his way up to the 26th position by lap 175 when caution came out yet again on lap 178. Mike Smith made the call to stay out to gain track position as other teams took the opportunity to pit. However, there was a chance they may be a few laps short on fuel. So, Smith gave the order for Bill to conserve fuel under caution flag laps. Nevertheless, the team knew that staying out on the track would be to their advantage. Elliott was able to restart the race in 12th position on lap 180. However, Elliott could not hold the track position against those who had fresh tires and took the checkered flag in the 31st position.

Overall, the team felt it was the best decision to try and take a chance. Crew Chief Mike Smith said, “We had to take a chance and see where we came out. Otherwise, we most likely would have come out with a similar result, but taking the gamble gave us the possibility to finish better even if it didn’t work out; it was still a decent finish.” Contributed by Christina Cicci, Wood Brothers Racing

Pocono 500 Results:
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Brian Vickers
3. Denny Hamlin
4. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
5. Jeff Burton
6. Jimmie Johnson
7. Matt Kenseth
8. Kurt Busch
9. Carl Edwards
10. Mark Martin
31. Bill Elliott

2008 Final
Point Standings:
1. Jimmie Johnson — 6684
2. Carl Edwards — 6615
3. Greg Biffle — 6467
4. Kevin Harvick — 6408
5. Clint Bowyer — 6381
6. Jeff Burton — 6335
7. Jeff Gordon — 6316
8. Denny Hamlin — 6214
9. Tony Stewart — 6202
10. Kyle Busch — 6186
11. Matt Kensteh — 6184
12. D. Earnhardt, Jr. — 6127
36. M. Ambrose* — 2655
*Listed by Owner Points for Michael Waltrip Racing/
JTG Daugherty Racing