# 2008 Pocono 500

The 2008 Pocono 500 was the fourteenth race of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule and was run on Sunday, June 8 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The race was the first NASCAR telecast on TNT for the 2008 season starting at 12:30 PM US EDT and on radio via MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio at 1:15 PM US EDT.

## Pre-race news

* Terry Labonte would fill in for Kyle Petty in the #45 Petty Enterprises Dodge for six races as Petty moves upstairs to the broadcast booth.
* Dario Franchitti returns to the #40 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge following his injury several weeks ago.

## Qualifying

Jimmie Johnson started out on the pole position, but almost an hour later, Kasey Kahne bumped him. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. teammates Mark Martin and Regan Smith made up the second row, while Joe Nemechek and Carl Edwards made up their third row.
| RANK | DRIVER | NBR | CAR | TIME | SPEED | |
| 1 | Kasey Kahne | 9 | Dodge | 52.873 | 170.219 | |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 48 | Chevrolet | 52.986 | 169.856 | |
| 3 | Mark Martin | 8 | Chevrolet | 53.287 | 168.897 | |
| 4 | Regan Smith | 01 | Chevrolet | 53.335 | 168.745 | |
| 5 | Joe Nemechek | 78 | Chevrolet | 53.342 | 168.723 | * |
| 6 | Carl Edwards | 99 | Ford | 53.407 | 168.517 | |
| 7 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 88 | Chevrolet | 53.411 | 168.505 | |
| 8 | A.J. Allmendinger | 84 | Toyota | 53.419 | 168.479 | * |
| 9 | Scott Riggs | 66 | Chevrolet | 53.447 | 168.391 | * |
| 10 | Kyle Busch | 18 | Toyota | 53.527 | 168.139 | |
| 11 | Kurt Busch | 2 | Dodge | 53.532 | 168.124 | |
| 12 | Tony Stewart | 20 | Toyota | 53.554 | 168.055 | |
| 13 | Matt Kenseth | 17 | Ford | 53.581 | 167.970 | |
| 14 | Dario Franchitti | 40 | Dodge | 53.591 | 167.939 | * |
| 15 | Brian Vickers | 83 | Toyota | 53.602 | 167.904 | |
| 16 | Denny Hamlin | 11 | Toyota | 53.605 | 167.895 | |
| 17 | Paul Menard | 15 | Chevrolet | 53.623 | 167.838 | |
| 18 | Elliott Sadler | 19 | Dodge | 53.640 | 167.785 | |
| 19 | Michael Waltrip | 55 | Toyota | 53.655 | 167.738 | |
| 20 | Jeff Burton | 31 | Chevrolet | 53.656 | 167.735 | |
| 21 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 42 | Dodge | 53.742 | 167.467 | |
| 22 | Jamie McMurray | 26 | Ford | 53.752 | 167.436 | |
| 23 | Travis Kvapil | 28 | Ford | 53.774 | 167.367 | |
| 24 | Patrick Carpentier | 10 | Dodge | 53.781 | 167.345 | * |
| 25 | Martin Truex Jr. | 1 | Chevrolet | 53.787 | 167.327 | |
| 26 | Jason Leffler | 70 | Chevrolet | 53.809 | 167.258 | * |
| 27 | Ryan Newman | 12 | Dodge | 53.810 | 167.255 | |
| 28 | Kevin Harvick | 29 | Chevrolet | 53.883 | 167.029 | |
| 29 | Bill Elliott | 21 | Ford | 53.970 | 166.759 | * |
| 30 | David Ragan | 6 | Ford | 53.986 | 166.710 | |
| 31 | Reed Sorenson | 41 | Dodge | 53.993 | 166.688 | |
| 32 | Dave Blaney | 22 | Toyota | 54.006 | 166.648 | |
| 33 | Greg Biffle | 16 | Ford | 54.007 | 166.645 | |
| 34 | Casey Mears | 5 | Chevrolet | 54.020 | 166.605 | |
| 35 | Clint Bowyer | 07 | Chevrolet | 54.024 | 166.593 | |
| 36 | David Reutimann | 44 | Toyota | 54.025 | 166.590 | |
| 37 | Bobby Labonte | 43 | Dodge | 54.032 | 166.568 | |
| 38 | Jeff Gordon | 24 | Chevrolet | 54.069 | 166.454 | |
| 39 | J.J. Yeley | 96 | Toyota | 54.103 | 166.349 | * |
| 40 | Michael McDowell | 00 | Toyota | 54.127 | 166.276 | |
| 41 | Terry Labonte | 45 | Dodge | 54.127 | 166.276 | PC |
| 42 | Robby Gordon | 7 | Dodge | 54.259 | 165.871 | |
| 43 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 77 | Dodge | 54.522 | 165.071 | OP |
| 44 | David Gilliland | 38 | Ford | 54.555 | 164.971 | OP |
OP: qualified via owners points
PC: qualified as past champion
PR: provisional
QR: via qualifying race
* - had to qualify on time
Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: J.J. Yeley (#96), Kenny Wallace (#87-WD)

## Happy Hour

It was anything but happy for points leader Kyle Busch, attempting to race all three series in three days in three sites. His primary car crashed and will be forced to a back-up car and start from the rear as a result. Also going to the back of the field was Sam Hornish Jr. for the same reason. Carl Edwards ran the fastest lap of the session at 164.769 mph. Eventual race winner Kasey Kahne ran the second lap of the session, which was 0.6 seconds slower than Edwards lap.

## Race
### Information

* Elapsed Time: 3:59:36
* Average Speed: 125.209 mph
* Margin of Victory: 3.702 sec
* Cautions: 10 for 38 laps
* Lead Changes: 23
* Leaders: 12
The woes of the #18 team continued into the race, when Kyle Busch crashed into the wall early into the race, and had to replace the nose, finishing dead last in the 43-car field, changing a 142-point lead to a 21-point lead to Jeff Burton. Greg Biffle suffered a pit road speeding penalty late in the race under green, causing him to lose the race. Carl Edwards looked to be a favorite to win the race in the closing laps, but a flat tire under a caution with about 20 laps to go destroyed his chances, as there were 33 cars on the lead lap. As the green flag came out, polesitter Kasey Kahne took the lead with 15 laps remaining from Brian Vickers in the Team Red Bull #83 Toyota and won his second points race of the season within the last three weeks.

## Results

| POS | ST | # | DRIVER | SPONSOR / OWNER | CAR | LAPS | MONEY | STATUS | LED | PTS |
| 1 | 1 | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Budweiser (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) | Dodge | 200 | 260866 | running | 69 | 195 |
| 2 | 15 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull (Dietrich Mateschitz) | Toyota | 200 | 144425 | running | 18 | 175 |
| 3 | 16 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | FedEx Ground (Joe Gibbs) | Toyota | 200 | 162866 | running | 17 | 170 |
| 4 | 7 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | National Guard / AMP Energy (Rick Hendrick) | Chevrolet | 200 | 121200 | running | 0 | 160 |
| 5 | 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | AT&T Mobility (Richard Childress) | Chevrolet | 200 | 143258 | running | 0 | 155 |
| 6 | 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Lowe's (Rick Hendrick) | Chevrolet | 200 | 147586 | running | 59 | 155 |
| 7 | 13 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | DeWalt (Jack Roush) | Ford | 200 | 130866 | running | 2 | 151 |
| 8 | 11 | 2 | Kurt Busch | Miller Lite (Roger Penske) | Dodge | 200 | 87175 | running | 0 | 142 |
| 9 | 6 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Aflac (Jack Roush) | Ford | 200 | 123700 | running | 2 | 143 |
| 10 | 3 | 8 | Mark Martin | Steak-umm Burgers (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) | Chevrolet | 200 | 114083 | running | 0 | 134 |
| 11 | 37 | 43 | Bobby Labonte | Cheerios / Betty Crocker (Petty Enterprises) | Dodge | 200 | 121536 | running | 0 | 130 |
| 12 | 8 | 84 | A.J. Allmendinger | Red Bull (Dietrich Mateschitz) | Toyota | 200 | 75200 | running | 0 | 127 |
| 13 | 28 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Shell / Pennzoil (Richard Childress) | Chevrolet | 200 | 118061 | running | 0 | 124 |
| 14 | 38 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | DuPont (Rick Hendrick) | Chevrolet | 200 | 117711 | running | 0 | 121 |
| 15 | 33 | 16 | Greg Biffle | 3M (Jack Roush) | Ford | 200 | 81175 | running | 4 | 123 |
| 16 | 42 | 38 | David Gilliland | FreeCreditReport.com (Yates Racing) | Ford | 200 | 89583 | running | 0 | 115 |
| 17 | 25 | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Boats (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) | Chevrolet | 200 | 101808 | running | 2 | 117 |
| 18 | 27 | 12 | Ryan Newman | Kodak (Roger Penske) | Dodge | 200 | 109350 | running | 0 | 109 |
| 19 | 36 | 44 | David Reutimann | UPS (Michael Waltrip) | Toyota | 200 | 70225 | running | 0 | 106 |
| 20 | 22 | 26 | Jamie McMurray | Irwin Industrial Tools (Jack Roush) | Ford | 200 | 80250 | running | 0 | 103 |
| 21 | 9 | 66 | Scott Riggs | State Water Heaters (Gene Haas) | Chevrolet | 200 | 85708 | running | 6 | 105 |
| 22 | 32 | 22 | Dave Blaney | Caterpillar (Bill Davis) | Toyota | 200 | 83408 | running | 1 | 102 |
| 23 | 23 | 28 | Travis Kvapil | Dish Network / Dish DVRs (Yates Racing) | Ford | 200 | 97064 | running | 0 | 94 |
| 24 | 30 | 6 | David Ragan | AAA Insurance (Jack Roush) | Ford | 200 | 76675 | running | 0 | 91 |
| 25 | 17 | 15 | Paul Menard | Menards / Pittsburgh Paints (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) | Chevrolet | 200 | 76450 | running | 0 | 88 |
| 26 | 34 | 5 | Casey Mears | Kellogg's / Carquest (Rick Hendrick) | Chevrolet | 200 | 83800 | running | 0 | 85 |
| 27 | 39 | 00 | Michael McDowell | Champion Mortgage (Michael Waltrip) | Toyota | 200 | 80808 | running | 0 | 82 |
| 28 | 4 | 01 | Regan Smith | Principal Financial Group (Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) | Chevrolet | 200 | 73000 | running | 0 | 79 |
| 29 | 5 | 78 | Joe Nemechek | Furniture Row / Denver Mattress (Barney Visser) | Chevrolet | 200 | 64850 | running | 0 | 76 |
| 30 | 43 | 45 | Terry Labonte | Paralyzed Veterans of America (Petty Enterprises) | Dodge | 200 | 74747 | running | 0 | 73 |
| 31 | 29 | 21 | Bill Elliott | U.S. Air Force (Wood Brothers) | Ford | 200 | 82895 | running | 0 | 70 |
| 32 | 24 | 10 | Patrick Carpentier | Charter Communications (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) | Dodge | 200 | 64375 | running | 0 | 67 |
| 33 | 31 | 41 | Reed Sorenson | Target (Chip Ganassi) | Dodge | 200 | 92339 | running | 0 | 64 |
| 34 | 18 | 19 | Elliott Sadler | Stanley (Gillett Evernham Motorsports) | Dodge | 200 | 90320 | running | 6 | 66 |
| 35 | 12 | 20 | Tony Stewart | Home Depot (Joe Gibbs) | Toyota | 199 | 112561 | running | 14 | 63 |
| 36 | 40 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports (Robby Gordon) | Dodge | 199 | 71600 | running | 0 | 55 |
| 37 | 19 | 55 | Michael Waltrip | NAPA Auto Parts (Michael Waltrip) | Toyota | 199 | 63425 | running | 0 | 52 |
| 38 | 21 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Texaco / Havoline (Chip Ganassi) | Dodge | 157 | 91208 | crash | 0 | 49 |
| 39 | 35 | 07 | Clint Bowyer | Jack Daniel's (Richard Childress) | Chevrolet | 155 | 81175 | running | 0 | 46 |
| 40 | 26 | 70 | Jason Leffler | Haas Automation (Gene Haas) | Chevrolet | 140 | 63025 | crash | 0 | 43 |
| 41 | 14 | 40 | Dario Franchitti | Target (Chip Ganassi) | Dodge | 137 | 70880 | crash | 0 | 40 |
| 42 | 41 | 77 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Mobil 1 (Roger Penske) | Dodge | 130 | 108305 | crash | 0 | 37 |
| 43 | 10 | 18 | Kyle Busch | M&M's (Joe Gibbs) | Toyota | 95 | 80999 | crash | 0 | 34 |
| Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes: |||||||||||
| POS | NAME | NBR | SPONSOR | OWNER | CAR | | | | | |
| 44 | J.J. Yeley | 96 | DLP HDTV | Jeff Moorad | Toyota | | | | | |
| WD | Kenny Wallace | 87 | Furniture Row | Barney Visser | Chevrolet | | | | | |

### Incidents

* On lap 41, Kurt Busch would lose control of his car exiting turn 1, he slides into the grass and briefly becomes airborne due to the bumpiness of the infield. He would later recover with no significant damage and rally to an 8th-place finish.
* Points leader Kyle Busch would hit the frontstretch wall after unsuccessfully trying to change lanes on lap 48, causing Jamie McMurray to make contact with the left rear corner of his car. The incident causes significant body damage on the entire right side of his car.
* Patrick Carpentier and Sam Hornish Jr. make contact in turn 1 on lap 58, also collecting David Gilliland.
* On lap 82, Clint Bowyer loses control of his car exiting turn 3. Juan Pablo Montoya has nowhere to go, and ends up hitting Bowyer behind the driver's door on the left side of the car. Bowyer spins and eventually finds the pit road wall where his car comes to a stop. Montoya's car is on fire and he limps to the end of pit road where he exits the car. Bowyer later returns to finish the race 45 laps down, and Montoya parks his car after 157 laps.
* Michael Waltrip would hit the turn 1 outside retaining wall on lap 106.
* Dario Franchitti would spin in turn 3 on lap 123.
* Already nursing a damaged race car, Kyle Busch hits the curb in the famed tunnel turn causing him to spin during the cycle of the last green flag pit stops on lap 178. This spin would seal his 43rd-place finish in the event.