Carl Edwards celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at the Pocono Raceway. (Jason Smith/Getty Images Photo)
Carl Edwards survived to win a rain-delayed Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, winning his fourth NASCAR Sprint Cup race of the 2008 season in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford Fusion.
Finishing second on the day was the Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota of Tony Stewart, followed by the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson. Kevin Harvick was fourth in a Richard Childress Chevy, followed by David Ragan in a second Roush Fenway Ford.
Second qualifier Mark Martin took the lead on the opening lap and held it for the first 22 laps. Then, NASCAR threw a competition caution, with Johnson and Matt Kenseth taking over the top two spots on the basis of two-tire pit stops. They were followed by Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, Martin, David Gilliland and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
The green flag came out on Lap 25, with Martin getting back to second place just three laps later. Martin regained the lead on Lap 36, his four fresh tires working better than Johnson’s two. Gilliland meanwhile, charged to third the following lap, taking the position from Kenseth.
At the one-quarter distance — Lap 50 — Martin led Gilliland by 4.324 seconds, with Johnson third. Then it was two-time Pocono winner Denny Hamlin, Kenseth, Earnhardt, Carl Edwards, Gordon, Biffle and June Pocono winner Kasey Kahne.
Green-flag stops started shortly afterwards, with Kyle Busch sliding sideways into his pit box and nearly crashing on Lap 53. By the time the stops cycled through on Lap 55, Martin stretched his lead to 5.515 seconds over Gilliland, Johnson, Hamlin and Gordon.
A caution-flag flew on Lap 67 for debris in the Tunnel Turn. The leaders pitted one circuit later, with Edwards taking just right-side Goodyears and getting the lead over Kahne, Kenseth, Earnhardt, Biffle, Elliott Sadler, Scott Riggs, Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, David Ragan, Johnson, Hamlin, Tony Raines, Martin and Gilliland.
On Lap 71, the green-flag flew and the track stayed green until Lap 89, when debris was spotted in Turn 3. That brought the leaders down pit road on Lap 90, with Hendrick teammates Johnson and Gordon emerging in the lead on the basis of two-tire pit stops. Then it was Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr., Kenseth, Edwards, Kahne, Earnhardt, Hamlin and Kyle Busch. Martin’s second consecutive bad pit stop took 16.7 seconds, dropping him to 17th place.
On Lap 93, the track went back to green, with Johnson, Gordon and Stewart waging a furious battle for the lead on the first lap of green, with Johnson ultimately prevailing. When the race hit the halfway mark at Lap 100, Johnson led by 1.623 seconds over Edwards, Earnhardt, Gordon, Kenseth, Kahne, Stewart, Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Truex, with Martin 13th.
By Lap 110, Edwards had caught Johnson, and one lap later, he motored underneath Johnson to take over the top spot. By now, rain was on the horizon, forcing the teams to adjust their strategies. Edwards and Johnson both hit the pits for fuel and four tires on Lap 119. Once the two leaders pitted, most of the other lead-lap cars came in within two laps, not wanting to get out of sequence with the leaders.
