NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
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TRUCKS: Sadler Wins At Pocono
Elliott Sadler is the first Pocono NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victor...
Tom Jensen  |  Posted July 31, 2010   Long Pond, PA
Elliott Sadler takes the checkered flag from a NASCAR official after winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Pocono Mountains 125 at Pocono Raceway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Elliott Sadler survived two green-white-checkered finishes to win the inaugural Pocono Mountains 125 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway.

LINK > UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POCONO MOUNTAINS 125 - POCONO RACEWAY
PDF > UNOFFICIAL DRIVER POINTS: POCONO MOUNTAINS 125 - POCONO RACEWAY

Sadler held off a determined challenge from fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup regular Kasey Kahne to earn his first career victory in eight NCWTS starts. Matt Crafton was third, followed by Aric Almirola and Justin Lofton.

The victory gave Kevin Harvick Inc. its third consecutive victory with three different drivers: Harvick, Ron Hornaday Jr. and now Sadler.

“It feels great,” said Sadler, who was choked with emotion in victory lane. “I told these guys the last lap I pretty much had tears in my eyes. It’s been such a tough couple of years ... It’s very special to me. ... You don’t know what this means to me.”

“We had the best truck, but we didn’t win the race,” said runner-up Kahne, who is Sadler’s Sprint Cup teammate at Richard Petty Motorsports. “I’m a little disappointed in myself.”

The race got off to a rocky start: On the opening lap, Timothy Peters nerfed Jason White in Turn 1, sending the No. 23 gunbroker.com Dodge into a spin and bringing out the first caution flag.
VIDEO: Last Lap Trucks Pocono - Sadler Wins Elliott Sadler wins the first series race at Pocono. (Image: SPEED)

But once they got underway again, pole-sitter Sadler immediately asserted himself, opening up a big lead in his No. 2 GT Vodka Chevrolet Silverado out of the Kevin Harvick Inc. racing stables.

With the race just 50 laps around the 2.5-mile Pocono triangle, there was no time to waste. Kahne caught Sadler by Lap 19, but he couldn’t get his No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Dealers Tundra past Sadler’s Chevrolet. Behind them where Denny Hamlin, points leader Todd Bodine and Aric Almirola.

Kahne got the lead on Lap 21, passing Sadler in Turn 3 for the first lead change of the race. Kahne held the point after Bobby Hamliton Jr. smacked the Turn 3 wall just past halfway to bring out the second yellow of the day and send the leaders down pit road.

The race restarted on Lap 31, Kahne leading Sadler as Bodine moved to third.

On Lap 33, Sadler retook the lead between turns 1 and 2, as a furious five-way battle emerged for fourth place.

Two laps later, the yellow waved again for debris in Turn 3, forcing another restart.

The green came out on Lap 38, Bodine exploding into the lead midway through Turn 1, as Hamlin dropped Sadler to third place.

Two laps later, Hamlin took his first lead of the day, and moments later Austin Dillon dumped Bodine in Turn 2, sending the track into another caution period. Bodine kept his truck off the wall, but his chances of victory were dashed.

The race restarted with six laps to go, Busch taking the lead as Dillon bumped Hamlin and sent him into the wall in Turn 1. At the end of the lap, Donny Lia spun at the exit to Turn 3 and got nailed by Chase Mattioli, bringing out yet another yellow.

The order on the green-white-checkered restart was Kahne, Sadler, Almirola, Lofton and Skinner.

Kahne got a bad restart, allowing Sadler to break into the lead. Ron Hornaday Jr. got spun by Johnny Sauter in Turn 2, driving yet another dagger in his hopes of winning a fifth championship this year.

That set up green-white-checkered attempt No. 2, Sadler now leading Lofton, Matt Crafton, Kahne and Almirola.

Sadler took the lead, as Kahne, Crafton and Almirola fought for second. And that’s how they finished, with Lofton bringing up fifth place.

LINK > UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POCONO MOUNTAINS 125 - POCONO RACEWAY
PDF > UNOFFICIAL DRIVER POINTS: POCONO MOUNTAINS 125 - POCONO RACEWAY

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100 and e-mail him at Jensen is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of Speed,” and has appeared on numerous television and radio shows. Jensen is the past President of the National Motorsports Press Association and an NMPA Writer of the Year.

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