Hendrick Garage: Pocono

The No. 48 of Jimmie Johnson sits covered on pit road in 2nd place
during Sunday's rain delay at Pocono. Credit: Rebecca Kivak

We are back at Pocono. Last time we were there, Jeff Gordon won, making history in winning his 84th race … could he sweep Pocono? Or would one of his teammates take the win? Or better yet, would someone turn this race into a "Cinderella story”?

Mark Martin

Mark Martin had a very boring day at Pocono. During the first 99 laps, Mark Martin improved by 10 positions. When the red flag came out on lap 125, Martin was 9th; he would then pit when the race went to green and then battle his way from there. Martin finished 13th and is now 15th in points.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Lately Dale Earnhardt Jr. hasn’t had the best of luck. Pocono was hopefully going to be his turning point. Earnhardt had a fast car all day as he charged up to the front. Earnhardt was 5th when the red flag came out. Before the race restarted, Earnhardt had a slow pit stop and lost 10 spots, restarting 15th. When the green flag waved, Earnhardt was on the wheel to regain as much ground as he could. Earnhardt had one of the best battles all day with the 99 of Carl Edwards. Earnhardt closed out the day in 9th and is 10th in points.

Jeff Gordon answers the media's questions
Friday at Pocono. Credit: Rebecca Kivak

Jeff Gordon

The winner of the June Pocono race, Gordon hoped to win again and sweep Pocono, but that task would proved to be hard. Gordon started 31st; having hit the wall during his qualify run caused Gordon to start so far back. Gordon didn’t have a good start, either; he seemed to be logging laps in the mid-20s. When the red flag came out, however, Gordon's car had come alive and was in the top 10, sure to be a factor. Gordon finished 6th and is 7th in the points.

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson had a fast car all day, starting 19th and was up to 15th in just the first three laps of the race. Johnson was cruising to the front. When the red flag came out, Johnson was second and pitted just before the race went green. Johnson was battling hard for the race win when on the last restart, Johnson went three-wide with Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. Johnson also had a very eventful last few laps: Johnson battled Kurt Busch, which ended with Busch and Johnson rubbing and hitting one another. Johnson was very unhappy with Kurt Busch after the race and even had words with him on pit road. Johnson finished 4th and is 2nd in the points.

I would like to send my prayers and thoughts to the Hendrick family: Mary Hendrick, mother of team owner Rick Hendrick, died earlier this week.