Event: Overton’s 400 (Round 21 of 36)
Series: Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
Location: Pocono Raceway (2.5-mile triangle)
Format: 160 laps, broken into three stages (50 laps/50 laps/60 laps)
Start/Finish: 7th/6th (Running, completed 160 of 160 laps)
Point Standing: 10th (577 points, 246 out of first)
Race Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 1 Winner: Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota)
Stage 2 Winner: Clint Bowyer of Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford)
Stage 1 Recap (Laps 1-50):
- Clint Bowyer started seventh, finished eighth to earn three race points.
- Fell back to 13th in opening laps because his car was loose in the corners.
- Told crew he needed to turn better, especially in first turn.
Stage 2 Recap (Laps 51-100):
- Started ninth and finished first to earn 10 race points.
- Led the final five laps for his first stage victory of the season.
- Climbed into the top-five for the first time on lap 66.
Final Stage Recap (Laps 101-160):
- Started 11th and finished sixth.
- Pitted under green with 35 laps remaining.
- Said his car was growing looser as the race neared the final laps.
- Climbed as high as fifth in the final stage before finishing sixth.
Notes:
- Bowyer scored his ninth top-10 finish of 2017.
- This was Bowyer’s 10th top-10 finish in 24 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono.
- Bowyer led five laps in Stage 2.
- There were five caution periods for a total of 21 laps.
- Kyle Busch won the Overton’s 400 to score his 39th career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, his first of the season and his first at Pocono.
- Bowyer remains 17th in the 16-driver playoff standings just 17 points behind Matt Kenseth.
- Martin Truex Jr. leads the championship standings with 823 points, holding a 87-point advantage over his nearest pursuer, Kyle Larson.
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Nature’s Bakery/Feeding America Ford Fusion for Stewart-Haas Racing:
“Our Ford was good all weekend. We unloaded a fast car. This is the best car that we’ve unloaded in quite some time. A little bit different build. Hopefully this is what we’re looking for, what I’m looking for, and build on this.”
Next Up:
The next event on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the I Love New York 355 on Sunday, Aug. 6 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International. The race starts at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by NBCSN.