By Matteo Marcheschi
Kenseth goes for a spin, and that’s a big ol’ wreck!
Matt Kenseth got turned around to tip off an eight-car pileup in turn three of the initial lap of Sunday’s Overton’s 400 at Pocono Raceway. His team, just like any other, had someone to blame.
Jason Hedlesky, Matt Kenseth’s spotter: “Inside, watch your inside. #6, he wouldn’t lift off the gas.”
Matt Kenseth: “He just ran me right into the dirt. Just didn’t have any room there.”
Aric Almirola, whose day was ended by the wreck, was just mad he didn’t get anything out of all those passes he made in the first two corners.
Aric Almirola: “So much for that, I passed seven cars in two corners. Got nothing to show for it.”
Johnson slams the wall after Kahne contact
On lap 58, Jimmie Johnson got tagged in his left rear quarter panel by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne. Johnson was confounded by the incident, not fully blaming anyone, rather trying to work out why his car snapped around on him the way it did.
Jimmie Johnson “Somebody running me over there, Earl [Barban]. What happened?”
Earl Barban, spotter for Johnson: “Calling the #5 inside there. That’s all I got.”
Johnson: “Yeah, I thought maybe somebody hit me from behind. Something weird went on in the center of the turn, it just snapped around.”
Kahne pinned it on his teammate, though.
Kasey Kahne: “Still not sure why Jimmie was on top of me. I mean, I’m down in the grass.”
The contact ended Johnson’s day, but, with three victories on the season, there’s not much for the #48 team to hang their heads about.
Busch pushing hard
Kyle Busch was dominant on Sunday, but frustration set in during the second stage, where Busch fell back due to pit strategy.
Kyle Busch: “I did everything to gain spots and I am a short chute away from those (expletive) in front of us.”
Adam Stevens, crew chief for Busch: “10-4 man. We got a whole (expletive) race left today. Stay with me.”
Not only did Busch stay with him, he found his way back to the front and took the victory, his first of 2017.
Truex is plain pissed
Martin Truex Jr. had some words for David Ragan and other lapped cars during Sunday’s race. He caught them in all the wrong spots and ended up stuck behind them, which is devastating at a big track like Pocono, where momentum in crucial.
Martin Truex Jr.: “What the (expletive). Go find David Ragan’s spotter, punch him in the face for me.”
Cole Pearn, crew chief for Truex: “That was freaking ridiculous.”
The frustration was just beginning for Truex, though. That was just his reaction to Ragan’s maneuvers. More lappers got in Truex’s way later in the race.
Truex: “There goes that again. (Expletive).”
Pearn: “Dumbass. That’s ridiculous.”
Truex: “They don’t (expletive) pay attention. We got a bunch of idiots out here.”
Truex, however, was able to stay away from the idiots the rest of the day, finishing third on the day behind Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick.
