Matt Kenseth’s Pocono fuel-mileage win a rarity in modern NASCAR

It’s a rarity nowadays where a long green flag run factors prominently into the outcome of a Sprint Cup Series race. Most weeks a rash of yellow flags -- typically for debris -- alleviate concerns about fuel mileage with races often decided on which driver can get a better restart.

An anomaly, however took place Sunday at Pocono Raceway. With no caution over the final 63 laps, crew chiefs were in a box whether their drives could go the distance on just one more stop or would require a second trip down pit road.

What unfolded were crew chiefs enacting myriad strategies. Some instructed their drivers to save fuel from the beginning in case no caution came. Others played the odds, figuring a caution for one reason or another was inevitable.

But the yellow flag many expected -- and were counting on -- never came. Leading those drivers who failed to conserve enough fuel to run out with only a few laps to go were the top three running cars of Joey Logano, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

“In the (NASCAR officiating) booth, they turned the clock back to 1973 and let that thing play out a little bit and let everybody run out of gas,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “That was pretty cool. It’s kind of like some of the older races where you just can’t count on them to throw them cautions there at the end.”

The beneficiary of the wild finish was Matt Kenseth, who had been sitting fourth but inherited the lead when Busch slowed on the white flag lap. For Kenseth the victory carried added meaning.

“I never thought I’d ever win at Pocono and I never thought I’d win a fuel-mileage race,” Kenseth said. “So we did both today.”

NASCAR Power Rankings

1. Kyle Busch (Last week: 1)

The call by Busch to go after the win rather than save fuel was misguided, resulting in him running dry on the final lap and finishing 21st. Had he been more conservative, he would be provisionally in the Chase for the Sprint Cup instead of 13 points out. Then again, with five races remaining that deficit is virtually nil and he should still qualify for the playoffs rather easily.

2. Joey Logano (LW: 3)

Another formidable outing put forth by Logano that didn’t materialize into a win. That’s been a recurring theme in recent weeks for the No. 22 team, which could’ve won any of the past four races had circumstances gone just slightly different. Nevertheless, with the Chase about to begin, Logano is again giving the appearance of being a bonafide title contender for the second straight year.

3. Kevin Harvick (LW: 2)

A race mechanical failure just 20 laps in prevented Kevin Harvick from showing what kind of car he had. But considering he was leading when his engine went sour and had been among the fastest in practice, it gives credence that the defending series champion would’ve been in contention Sunday.

4. Brad Keselowski (LW: 6)

Pit road hasn’t been kind to the No. 2 team recently, with stops often resembling a three-ring circus. The latest incident saw Brad Keselowski overshoot his pit stall Sunday and wipeout a couple of crew guys in the process. Thankfully, there were no injuries. And though he would’ve likely won without his miscue, he did rally to finish second.

5. Matt Kenseth (LW: 7)

Before Sunday, Kenseth had been 0-for-31 at Pocono. Now there are just five tracks where he remains winless, including Watkins Glen -- the site of this weekend’s race. But don’t expect a similar breakthrough in the Cheez-It 355. Road course racing isn’t Kenseth’s forte. He’s never finished better than eighth in 15 career starts and has led just a single lap.

6. Jimmie Johnson (LW: 5)

Pocono was another in a continuing string of races where Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team weren’t very competitive. Yet he did manage to finish sixth, which speaks to the high standards facing the six-time champion when a top-10 is viewed as a disappointment.

7. Kurt Busch (LW: 4)

The streak Kurt Busch had amassed of seven straight top-10s came to an end when he innocently spun and then was plowed into by Sam Hornish Jr., who himself had quite an eventful afternoon. Had the contact not occurred, Busch would’ve likely recovered. But the damage was too severe, erasing any chance of comeback.

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (LW: 8)

When the driver of the Windows 10 sponsored car crashes, the jokes just write themselves. After all, wasn’t Twitter invented for the sole purpose to provide everyone with a platform to make sarcastic comments? Yet even in spite of spinning out himself out for the second straight race, Earnhardt did rebound to finish fourth, his fifth top-five in seven races.

9. Martin Truex Jr. (LW: 10)

Second strong run in a row for a team that had fallen off some since winning the June Pocono race, as Truex was a fixture up front all race. And as opposed to Kyle Busch, Truex had nothing to lose by gambling with his Chase spot already secured.

10. Denny Hamlin (LW: 9)

Like many others, Denny Hamlin’s strong effort was negated by not having enough fuel to make it to the finish. In in his case, while running fifth his tank hit ‘E’ coming out of Turn 3 on the white flag lap.

11. Carl Edwards (LW: 11)

Regardless of not having comparable speed to Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Kenseth, Carl Edwards grabbed a 10th-place finish. That marks four consecutive weeks where the No. 19 car has maintained a steady presence near the front, indicating the inconsistency issues that hampered the team earlier in the season are resolved.

12. Jeff Gordon (LW: 12)

Other than Kenseth, no one was happier with how the race ended than Gordon, who went from a certain finish somewhere in the teens to third. That’s a big points bump for a driver very much on the Chase bubble coming off a disastrous performance the weekend prior.