Jamie McMurray

Jamie McMurray

By Bob Priddy, Contributing Editor

(NASCAR)—Matt Kenseth won the 400-mile race at Pocono but only because a teammate ran out of gas with one lap to go. The race turned into an economy run as several drivers tried to stretch dwindling fuel supplies to the end. Joey Logano, who led more laps than anyone, tried to nurse his lead over Kyle Busch to the finish but ran out of gas with two laps to go and finished 20th after a splash-and-go fuel stop. Busch’s car slowed as he was getting the white flag signaling one lap to go and coasted to a stop on pit road. He finished 21st. Busch would have been 29th in the Cup standings if he had won the race, ensuring him a slot in the final ten—race runoff for the championship. His lack of fuel left him 32nd in the standings, thirteen points below 30th, the position he must be in to make the final run-off.

Columbia driver Carl Edwards had to make a late pit stop for fuel but finished tenth. Joplin’s Jamie McMurray protected his position in the points standings with a fifteenth. He remains in contention for a spot in the final championship chase although he has not won a race this year.

NASCAR runs next at Watkins Glen, the second and final road course race of the year, next Sunday, one of five remaining races what will establish the sixteen qualifiers to run for the championship in the last ten races of the season.

(IndyCar)—Graham Rahal led the last 23 laps at Mid-Ohio and finished more than three seconds ahead of Justin Wilson. The win moves Rahal past Scott Dixon into second place in the IndyCar points chase, only nine points behind Juan Pablo Montoya, the points leader for most of the season. Montoya finished eleventh in the race. Dixon, who set a lap record to start from the pole, came home fourth behind Simon Pagenaud.

The win is Rahal’s second of the season. He also won at Fontana three races ago. It is the third win in four races for Honda and the fifth win for the season. Chevrolet-powered cars have won the other nine races.

The IndyCar season has only two races remaining: Pocono on the 23rd and Sonoma a week later.