NASCAR conspiracy theorists are going to have a field day with this one...

Intermittent and heavy showers foiled attempts to begin the race at the scheduled start. After myriad interviews on pit road, features, remembrances of Bill France, Jr. and too much of Bill Weber in general, the race began at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Ryan “Rocket Man” Newman had the pole but undefeated sophomore Denny Hamlin led the first lap at the triangular track. Washed clean of rubber and with temperatures well below the anticipated high of the day, the track was wreaking havoc with many drivers’ machines.  Many of them were complaining of tight conditions which affected their ability to turn the car through the three unique corners on the Pocono track.

Hamlin led his teammate Tony Stewart for more than two dozen laps when green-flag pit stops began to cycle through. Casey Mears and Stewart both were credited as lap leaders, but eventually had to pit. Once stops were completed, Hamlin swapped the top spot with Stewart several times before Hamlin eventually took away Position 1.

The first caution came at lap 49 with Robby Gordon the unfortunate recipient. A cut tire brought him into the pits, the searing hot rubber in flames as crew members attempted to remove the tire and extinguish the fire.

Yellow flag pit stops placed Mark Martin in the lead briefly but it was Hamlin who led the field to green again at lap 54. Hamlin’s time up front was short-lived as Newman stole the lead just before the caution came out two laps later at lap 56.

Dave Blaney and Greg Biffle tangled on the track, bringing out the second caution. The damage to Blaney’s car was so severe he was forced to retire for the day.

Lap 56 saw the green flag flying but it was only a few minutes later when the third caution was called for debris on the track. Jeff Gordon, after reporting brake problems to his crew, was able to take the lead when he elected to stay on the track while the majority of other drivers chose to pit. Gordon led the way for the next green flag, followed in hot pursuit by Mears and Newman.

When Gordon and Mears were forced to pit on lap 83, Newman reclaimed the lead. As crew members began to report rain threatening on the horizon, making the correct call on the track or on pit road caused the crew chief to become a crucial part of the race to beat the weather.

Newman paced the field until he too had to make a pit stop, allowing Hamlin to retake the lead at lap 92. When Hamlin came in for service, Carl Edwards, a winner at Pocono in his rookie year, took the lead for the first time. Gordon and Mears, by virtue of their early stops, had cycled back to second and third place respectively. As Edwards left the track to pit, Gordon reassumed the lead with his teammate close behind.

Meanwhile, Newman was climbing rapidly through the field and quickly passed Mears for second place. Setting his sights on Gordon, Newman steadily closed the gap Gordon had temporarily enjoyed. As the lead shrunk to just 1.2 seconds, the caution flag flew for what would be the fourth and final time of the day at lap 104.

The cars were called to pit road and another valiant effort by the Pocono jet dryers was made to dry off the track. With darkness fast approaching and rain showers drenching different parts of the track, NASCAR called the race. Because the race had passed halfway, it was considered an official race and therefore was complete.

The gutsy move by No. 24 crew chief Steve Letarte was a long-shot gamble that paid off handsomely. The win gave the Rainbow Warriors their fourth win of the season, tying teammate Jimmie Johnson, who suffered a cut tire late in the race and finished in 42nd position. Newman finished second, with Martin Truex, Jr. passing Mears in the final seconds, putting the recent Cup winners in third and fourth place, respectively.

Stewart clinched fifth place and teammate Hamlin posted a sixth-place finish after having one of the dominant cars of the afternoon. Martin, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top ten.

The points have seen a shakeup this week with Johnson’s poor finish and Kurt Busch’s penalty for a pit road altercation with Stewart on Monday at Dover Downs. Gordon retains the point lead, while Johnson lost two spots to fall to fourth. Mears made the biggest gain of all drivers, improving his position four spots to 23rd. Newman is now knocking on the door to 12th, sitting in 13th behind veteran and part-timer Martin.

Next week the Nextel Cup Series will find themselves in the rolling hills of Michigan for the annual Father’s Day race. This race is significant for three of the four manufacturers in the sport, as Chevrolet, Dodge and Ford are all headquartered a short distance away in Detroit. While it may not seem like it, winning a race in the manufacturers’ back yard brings intense pride and certainly bragging rights. Then again, what if a Toyota wins?

Until then, remember that rubbin’ is racin’!

Correction: Last week I stated that the Long Pond straight of Pocono is the longest straight in NASCAR. This is incorrect. Pocono’s Main straight holds this title.

Race Results

Overall Standings

Have a question or comment for Samantha? Email him at samanthamaynard@sportsgrumblings.com.