The 2017 Overton's 400, was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race held on July 30, 2017 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. Contested over 160 laps on the 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway, it was the 21st race of the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 36 in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 2017 Overton's 400 program cover | |||
| Date | July 30, 2017 | ||
| Location | Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (640 km) | ||
| Average speed | 141.080 miles per hour (227.046 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 50.175 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 74 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1), Mike Bagley (2) and Kyle Rickey (3) | ||
Report
editBackground
edit
Pocono Raceway (formerly Pocono International Raceway), also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond. It is the site of two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races held just weeks apart in early June and late July/early August, one NASCAR Xfinity Series event in early June, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event in late July/early August, and two ARCA Racing Series races in early June and late July/early August. From 1971 to 1989, and again since 2013, the track has also hosted an Indy Car race, currently sanctioned by the IndyCar Series and run in August.
Pocono is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation, the dominant track owners in NASCAR. It is run by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon and Nicholas, both of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli. Mattco also owns South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia.
Outside of the NASCAR races, Pocono is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
Entry list
editPractice
editFirst practice
editMatt Kenseth was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 51.114 seconds and a speed of 176.077 mph (283.368 km/h).[10]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.114 | 176.077 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 51.149 | 175.957 |
| 3 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 51.307 | 175.415 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editKyle Busch was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 50.898 seconds and a speed of 176.824 mph (284.571 km/h).[11]
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 50.898 | 176.824 |
| 2 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 51.163 | 175.908 |
| 3 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 51.239 | 175.647 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editKyle Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 50.175 and a speed of 179.372 mph (288.671 km/h).[12]
Qualifying results
editRace
editFirst stage
editKyle Busch led the field to the green flag at 3:20 p.m. The field didn't complete a full lap when rounding the third turn, Matt Kenseth got loose and spun, triggering an eight-car wreck that brought out the first caution.[13] Aric Almirola took the worst damage on his way to a last-place finish.[14]
Back to green on the eighth lap, cars started hitting pit road to short-pit the first stage on Lap 15. Busch pitted from the lead on Lap 22, as did Erik Jones after a four-lap stint in front. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. led the next 11 circuits, before diving onto pit road on Lap 37, cycling the lead to Kenseth. He didn't hold the lead for long, however, as Busch passed him going into Turn 1 to take the lead on Lap 42 and drove on to win the first stage that concluded on Lap 51. He opted to pit under the stage break, while Kenseth stayed out to retake the lead. Teammate Denny Hamlin restarted from the tail-end of the field for speeding.
Second stage
editOn fresher tires, Busch powered by the outside of Kenseth in Turn 3 to return to the lead on the Lap 56 restart. When the field came back through Turn 3 a lap later, Jimmie Johnson spun, after contact with teammate Kasey Kahne, and hit the wall, bringing out the third caution.[15]
The race restarted on Lap 62. A drive-shaft piece that came from Kyle Larson's car brought out the fourth caution on Lap 70. Hamlin stayed out to get the race lead, but was relegated to second on the restart, bumping up Austin Dillon, for not maintaining pace car speed.
It made no difference, however, as Hamlin regained the lead going into Turn 1 on the Lap 75 restart. He led the next 15 laps, before Martin Truex Jr. got to his inside exiting Turn 1 and took the lead heading down the Long Pond Straightaway. Truex was among a slew of cars that opted to short-pit for the position to win towards the end of the second stage on Lap 98, handing the lead to Clint Bowyer, who won the stage on Lap 101. Truex resumed his place up front when Bowyer pitted.
Final stage
editThe race restarted on Lap 106. Cars started hitting pit road for their final pit stop with 37 laps to go.[16] Race leader Truex pitted with 34 to go, handing the lead to Busch, who had yet to pit. He did so with 25 to go, handing the lead to Brad Keselowski.[17] When he stopped five laps later, the lead cycled to Hamlin. During the cycle, Joey Logano was hit with a pass through penalty for speeding, and a stop and go penalty for pitting to service his car during his pass through.[18]
With 17 to go, Kevin Harvick took the lead from Hamlin going into Turn 1.[19] But Busch caught Harvick going into Turn 3, bumped him out of the racing groove and drove on to victory.[20]
Race results
editStage results
editStage 1 Laps: 50
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage 2 Laps: 50
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final stage results
editStage 3 Laps: 60
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 50 |
| 2 | 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 43 |
| 3 | 2 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 160 | 43 |
| 4 | 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 37 |
| 5 | 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 160 | 48 |
| 6 | 7 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 44 |
| 7 | 8 | 19 | Daniel Suárez (R) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 30 |
| 8 | 9 | 77 | Erik Jones (R) | Furniture Row Racing | Toyota | 160 | 29 |
| 9 | 15 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 160 | 28 |
| 10 | 13 | 24 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 28 |
| 11 | 12 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 31 |
| 12 | 23 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 25 |
| 13 | 18 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 31 |
| 14 | 20 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 29 |
| 15 | 22 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 30 |
| 16 | 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 160 | 25 |
| 17 | 30 | 13 | Ty Dillon (R) | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 159 | 20 |
| 18 | 17 | 95 | Michael McDowell | Leavine Family Racing | Chevrolet | 159 | 21 |
| 19 | 27 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 159 | 18 |
| 20 | 19 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 159 | 20 |
| 21 | 26 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 159 | 16 |
| 22 | 33 | 38 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 159 | 15 |
| 23 | 28 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 159 | 15 |
| 24 | 32 | 72 | Cole Whitt | TriStar Motorsports | Chevrolet | 159 | 13 |
| 25 | 34 | 23 | Corey LaJoie (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 159 | 12 |
| 26 | 3 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 159 | 16 |
| 27 | 10 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 159 | 10 |
| 28 | 24 | 37 | Chris Buescher | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 159 | 9 |
| 29 | 31 | 34 | Landon Cassill | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 158 | 8 |
| 30 | 5 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 158 | 13 |
| 31 | 35 | 15 | Gray Gaulding (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 157 | 6 |
| 32 | 36 | 83 | Stephen Leicht | BK Racing | Toyota | 153 | 5 |
| 33 | 16 | 42 | Kyle Larson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 6 |
| 34 | 37 | 55 | Derrike Cope | Premium Motorsports | Toyota | 85 | 3 |
| 35 | 14 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 57 | 2 |
| 36 | 38 | 33 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Circle Sport – The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 24 | 1 |
| 37 | 29 | 32 | Matt DiBenedetto | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 1 | 1 |
| 38 | 25 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 0 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
edit- Lead changes: 9 among different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 5 for 21
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 2 hours, 50 minutes and 7 seconds
- Average speed: 141.080 miles per hour (227.046 km/h)
Media
editTelevision
editNBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen and Dale Jarrett had the call from the regular booth for the race. Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte had the call in the new NBC's stock car smarts booth for the race. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reported from pit lane during the race.
| NBCSN | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color Commentator Dale Jarrett Stock Car Smarts Booth Analyst: Jeff Burton Stock Car Smarts Booth Analyst: Steve Letarte |
Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
editMotor Racing Network had the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Joe Moore Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace |
Turn 1: Dave Moody Turns 2: Mike Bagley Turn 3: Kyle Rickey |
Alex Hayden Winston Kelley Steve Post |
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^ "2017 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 5, 2016. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "Pocono Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 24, 2017. Archived from the original on July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 29, 2017. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 29, 2017. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 30, 2017. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
- ^ "Overton's 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. July 30, 2017. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 31, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ "Manufacturer standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 31, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Lee (July 29, 2017). "Matt Kenseth leads opening Cup practice from Pocono". Motorsport.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Lee (July 29, 2017). "Kyle Busch tops final Cup practice at Pocono". Motorsport.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Motorsport Network. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
- ^ "Kyle Busch wins pole for NASCAR Cup race at Pocono Raceway". Associated Press. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: AP Sports. Associated Press. July 30, 2017. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
- ^ Knight, Chris (July 30, 2017). "Eight-car crash ignites to start Overton's 400 at Pocono Raceway". Catchfence.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Catchfence. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Jensen, Tom (July 30, 2017). "5 Takeaways from the Overton's 400 at Pocono Raceway". PopularSpeed.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: POPULAR SPEED. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Spencer, Reid (July 30, 2017). "Jimmie Johnson's hex at Pocono holds with DNF". NASCAR.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: NASCAR Wire Service. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Walsh, Scott (July 30, 2017). "Kyle Busch finally wins at Pocono, takes Overton's 400". The Scranton Times-Tribune. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Times-Shamrock Communications. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Stumiolo, Zach (July 30, 2017). "Busch finally able to solve Pocono". Pocono Record. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: GateHouse Media. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ James, Brant (July 30, 2017). "As Kyle Busch finally seals a win at Pocono, Joey Logano in precarious spot". USA Today. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: Gannett Company. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Courson, Matt (July 30, 2017). "Kyle Busch ends longest race-winless streak of career in the Poconos". TheRacingExperts.com. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: The Racing Experts. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Gelston, Dan (July 30, 2017). "Kyle Busch ends winless season with Cup victory at Pocono". Associated Press. Long Pond, Pennsylvania: AP Sports. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.