Truex Jr. holds off Larson for Pocono 400 victory

For the second time in three attempts Martin Truex Jr. claimed victory at the Pocono 400.

Published : Jun 04, 2018 04:18 IST

Martin Truex Jr. seized on a late mistake from Kyle Larson at the Pocono 400 to claim the 17th win of his NASCAR career.

Larson clipped Derrike Cope in stage three of the race in Pennsylvania and was handed a caution, providing every driver with the chance to pit for fresh tyres.

It sparked a frantic end to the 160-lap event that saw Truex Jr. pip Larson to record his second victory of the season, with Kyle Busch - winner in the Coca-Cola 600 - completing the top three.

Truex Jr. had already won stage one of the race and came in fourth in the second section of Sunday's action, with Kevin Harvick claiming top spot after leading for 89 laps.

But it was Truex Jr. who was celebrating for Furniture Row Racing, having held off the charge of Larson in a tense final seven laps.

"Our car was great on the long run," said the winner. "There was a lot of cars on the short run that were as good as we were.

"It's so hard to pass here at Pocono. We had to pick them off one at a time and we stayed patient. 

"I tried to save my tyres a little bit and by the end of the run, we found ourselves fourth. It was a great comeback and just a strong race car."

 

POCONO 400 PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Martin Truex Jr. 
2. Kyle Larson
3. Kyle Busch
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Ryan Blaney
7. Aric Almirola
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Joey Logano
10. Chase Elliott

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