2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500

The 2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Presented by Target was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race that was held on June 6, 2010 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. It was the fourteenth race of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The event was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EDT on TNT, but it was delayed by rain to 3:00 p.m.[1] It was also broadcast on the radio station Motor Racing Network at 12 p.m. EDT.[5] The race consisted of 200 laps, 500 miles (804.67 km).

2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 Presented by Target
Race details[1][2][3][4]
Race 14 of 36 in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Date June 6, 2010 (2010-June-06)
Official name Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500
Location Pocono Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 204 laps, 510 mi (821 km)
Weather Scattered thunderstorms with a high around 76; wind out of the WSW at 7 mph. Chance of precipitation 40%.
Average speed 130 miles per hour (210 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 53.10
Most laps led
Driver Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 88
Winner
No. 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network Turner Network Television
Announcers Adam Alexander, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Kyle Petty

The race began with Kyle Busch from Joe Gibbs Racing on the pole. Throughout the race there were seven different leaders, fourteen lead changes, and eight cautions.[3] Denny Hamlin, also from Joe Gibbs Racing, won the 2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500.[6]

Race report

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Practice and qualifying

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Pole position winner Kyle Busch in 2009.

Three practice sessions were scheduled before the race, one before qualifying on Friday, June 4, 2010, and two on Saturday, June 5, 2010.[7] In the first practice session the quickest five drivers were Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and A. J. Allmendinger.[8] In the second practice, Jimmie Johnson was quickest, while Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Burton, Clint Bowyer, and Kyle Busch followed.[9] During the final practice session, Jeff Burton was first fastest, Jimmie Johnson second, Denny Hamlin in third, fourth is Jamie McMurray, and Kevin Harvick fifth.[10]

In qualifying, Kyle Busch won the pole position, while Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, and Denny Hamlin completed the top-five positions.[11] There were 45 entries for the race,[12] but only 43 can race which meant that two drivers would not make the race; they were Terry Cook and Ted Musgrave.[11]

Race summary

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At 12:00 p.m. EDT, Turner Network Television started broadcasting with the "Countdown to Green".[13] At the start of the race, weather was predicted to be mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. At 12:55 p.m. EDT, pre-race ceremonies began with Mrs. Phil DeRea delivered the invocation, then Clarke Luis performed the national anthem. To start engines, WWE Champion John Cena and the Gillette ProGlide Believers all said the command, "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!". While under the pace laps, inclement weather moved in the area to cause a two-hour rain delay. During the rain delay, NASCAR decided that there would be a competition caution on lap 15.[13]

At 3:07 p.m. EDT, the green flag waved to start the race. On lap 5, Denny Hamlin passed Kyle Busch for the lead. Ten laps later, the competition caution came out, then most of the drivers came down to make their pit stops . On lap 18, Bobby Labonte stayed out to lead one lap, then he came down to pit. Kyle Busch, on lap 20, led to field on the restart. Kyle Busch led the race until Clint Bowyer passed him on lap 38. Nine laps later, green flag pit stops began. On lap 79, Clint Bowyer made a pit stop and gave the lead to Denny Hamlin, but two laps later, Bowyer regained the lead.[13]

On lap 85, there were only twenty-two cars on the lead lap where Clint Bowyer had lapped twenty-one cars. Twelve laps later, the second caution came out because of debris in turn two. Afterwards, all the lead lap cars made pit stops, and Kyle Busch regained the lead. On lap 101 the restart started with Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, and Jimmie Johnson going four wide on the straightaway. Kevin Harvick then became the leader, but on lap 106, his car got loose and went toward the outside wall to give Denny Hamlin the lead. On lap 126, Denny Hamlin continued to lead with 75 lap to go. On lap 131, the second set of green flag pit stops began. One lap later, leader Denny Hamlin made a pit stops, but kept his position on the race track.[13]

On lap 151, the teams were worried because they didn't have enough to make it to the checkered flag. Four laps later, the third caution came out because there was debris on the Long Pond straightaway. After all lead lap cars made pit stops, Denny Hamlin brought the field to the green flag, but on the same lap, the fourth caution came out because Casey Mears, and Elliott Sadler collided. One lap later, Kyle Busch became the leader. On lap 164, the green flag waved as Kyle Busch was the leader. One lap later, Denny Hamlin regained the lead. On lap 167, David Ragan collided with Jamie McMurray to make him collide with the wall which brought out the fifth caution. Most of the leaders made pit stops for fuel, but Kurt Busch stayed out to become the leader on the restart on lap 171.[13]

 
Race winner Denny Hamlin in 2010.

One lap later, Sam Hornish Jr. passed Kurt Busch for the lead. On lap 175, the sixth caution came out because of debris in turn three. Some of the lead lap cars made pit stops, while the top-ten stayed out. Hornish, Jr, then, brought the field to the green flag on lap 179. Hornish continued to lead until Denny Hamlin passed him on lap 189. Ten laps later, the seventh caution came out because Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano collided. The caution caused a green-white-checkered finish; the restart was on lap 202. Then, one lap later, the white flag was given, but on the backstretch Kasey Kahne was blocked by A. J. Allmendinger, then went through the grass, went toward the outside wall, went airborne as Mark Martin and Greg Biffle collided into him, and went to rest in the middle of the straightaway. The wreck collected a total of 10 cars including Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Elliott Sadler, Marcos Ambrose, David Ragan, and David Stremme. Then, Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag as he won his fourth race of the 2010 season.[13][14] Following the race, an altercation ensued between Logano and Harvick's pit crew.

Penalties

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At the time when the race was about to resume after the rain delay, Sprint Cup Series officials noticed that the rear tires of Travis Kvapil's Ford were nearly flat. They made a pit stop while the rest of the field were under the pace laps. After the race, their car went under inspection which showed that the car was using bleeder valves, which were installed on the valve stems to regulate tire pressure. The infraction has one of the severest penalties in NASCAR.[15] The infraction cost the Front Row Motorsports #38 team 150 owner points (Doug Yates is listed as the owner of the #38), Kvapil 150 driver points, USD $100,000, and the suspension of three crew members for twelve weeks.[16] Front Row Motorsports appealed the decision, which knocked the team from 32nd to 36th, forcing the team to qualify on time.[17] The penalties were upheld by NASCAR on June 22, 2010.[18] In an unusual move, the penalty moved the #7 Robby Gordon Motorsports entry back into the Top 35, despite failing to qualify with Ted Musgrave (Robby himself was competing in a Trophy Truck race so Musgrave qualified the car for him). The penalty had a season-long effect on the #38 team, as they were never able to get back into the Top 35 and failed to qualify for three races.

Results

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Pos Grid Car Driver Team Make
1 5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2 1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3 6 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
4 22 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
5 25 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 4 2 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge
7 13 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
8 7 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
9 2 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
10 17 43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
11 19 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Racing Dodge
12 26 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford
13 12 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
14 9 39 Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet
15 29 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
16 33 98 Paul Menard Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
17 15 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 24 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
19 3 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
20 31 82 Scott Speed Team Red Bull Toyota
21 11 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge
22 38 38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford
23 23 83 Casey Mears Team Red Bull Toyota
24 43 26 David Stremme Latitude 43 Motorsports Ford
25 27 56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
26 35 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford
27 8 9 Kasey Kahne Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
28 28 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford
29 14 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
30 16 47 Marcos Ambrose JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota
31 21 19 Elliott Sadler Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
32 10 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
33 37 37 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
34 20 13 Max Papis Germain Racing Toyota
35 42 34 Kevin Conway Front Row Mototsports Ford
36 18 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
37 36 46 J. J. Yeley Whitney Motorsports Dodge
38 41 71 Bobby Labonte TRG Motorsports Chevrolet
39 32 55 Michael McDowell Prism Motorsports Toyota
40 34 66 Dave Blaney Prism Motorsports Toyota
41 40 36 Geoffrey Bodine Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
42 39 64 Chad McCumbee Gunselman Motorsports Toyota
43 30 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota
Source:[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Race Preview". News Observer.com: Jim Utter. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Kyle Busch Won Pocono Pole". Miami Herald. Miami Herald.com. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Race Details". Fox Sports.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Denny Wins Fourth race at Pocono". USA Today.com: Gary Graves. 6 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  5. ^ "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
  6. ^ "Hamlin Wins 2010 Pocono Race". Sporting News.com: Reid Spencer. 6 June 2010. Archived from the original on 10 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  7. ^ "Pre-Race Schedule". Pocono Raceway.com. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  8. ^ "First Practice Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  9. ^ "Practice 2 Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  10. ^ "Final Practice Results". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  11. ^ a b "Race Lineup". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  12. ^ "Qualifying Order". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  13. ^ a b c d e f "Race Summary". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  14. ^ "Hamlin Victorious". The Seattle Times. Seattle Times.com. 6 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  15. ^ "Possible Penalties After Pocono". News Observer.com: Jim Utter. 7 June 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  16. ^ Caraviello, David (9 June 2010). "No. 38 Cup Series team penalized for infractions". NASCAR.com. Archived from the original on 12 June 2010. Retrieved 9 June 2010.
  17. ^ "Front Row owner to appeal penalties". Fox Sports. 11 June 2010. Archived from the original on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
  18. ^ Front Row Motorsports Loses Appeal
  19. ^ "Race Results". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  20. ^ "Post-Race Standings". NASCAR. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
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