LONG POND, Pa. (AP) – Kurt Busch stretched his fuel to the checkered flag and won the Sprint Cup race Monday at Pocono Raceway. Busch was urged to save fuel and go hard on the final lap. The 2004 champion did all he could to save fuel in the No. 41 Chevy and shut off the engine headed into the turns. Told he was two laps shy, Busch not only had enough fuel left to win his first race of the season, but he had more than enough for victory burnouts and a celebratory lap around the track. Busch won with interim crew chief John Klausmeier calling the shots as Tony Gibson served a one-race suspension. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second, and Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, and Joey Logano rounded out the top five in a race postponed one day because of rain.
Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski’s car took a shot in the pits and then he took aim at Jeff Gordon. Keselowski was the pole sitter for Monday’s race at Pocono Raceway and ran into early trouble when he was called back to the pits because of unapproved body modifications on his No. 2 Ford. One of his pit crew members threw a shoulder block into a side panel, which caused a dent that potentially could give the car more sideforce and an aerodynamic edge on the track. Crew members argued with pit officials, to no avail. Keselowski rallied to finish third, though his Ford was quickly surrounded by NASCAR officials. The car did not fail postrace inspection. Keselowski was angered when told that the FS1 broadcast aired footage of his crew doing something similar during a pit stop earlier this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Keselowski was not penalized and won that race. Gordon, the retired four-time NASCAR champion and an analyst for the FS1 broadcast team, explained on the broadcast how Keselowski might have an edge. As he spoke, the network showed a replay of the Las Vegas pit stop. After the Pocono race, Keselowski was upset that Gordon is broadcasting while he still owns a stake in Hendrick Motorsports.
