web1_galli.jpg

Prosecutors to appeal Galli ruling

web1_WVW-BLEICH.jpg

Valley West’s Bleich earns national ranking from ESPN

<p>The pencil was out ready to mark yet another conquest by Kyle Busch. Then came the sound of an engine starving for fuel, only there wasn&#8217;t enough to feed it.</p><p>Matt Kenseth then zipped by at the end of last August&#8217;s race, leaving Busch waiting for next year.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;d certainly like to check that box and get that one off the list, which would leave only Charlotte,&#8221; said Busch, who drives the No. 18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. &#8220;We&#8217;ll just focus on one thing at a time.&#8221;</p><p>Next to that box are the words Pocono Raceway, where the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the Pennsylvania 400. Busch has won at every track on the circuit except Pocono and Charlotte.</p><p>Qualifying for Sunday&#8217;s race is at 4:15 p.m. Friday. Busch won the pole for last year&#8217;s Pennsylvania 400, and he and Joey Logano made it a two-man battle when the race rolled around a few days later.</p><p>Logano led 97 of 160 laps. He appeared to take control for good on lap 129 and was in front with three laps to go. Logano, though, ran out of fuel and surrendered the lead to Busch. Busch had enough to lead just two laps before his tank went dry as well. That gave Kenseth, who led only two laps all afternoon, the victory.</p><p>&#8220;I was running right behind Joey Logano for much of the last stint at Pocono,&#8221; Busch said. &#8220;We thought we had just enough fuel to make it. We didn&#8217;t. We ran out. Joey ran out first and then I got the lead and then we ran out.&#8221;</p><p>Busch finished a deceiving 18th in last year&#8217;s race. Logano was even worse, placing 20th.</p><p>&#8220;We ran up front all day. Joey and I were kind of in a league of our own,&#8221; Busch said. &#8220;We definitely need to look at that and see how we were last year and see how we excelled from here to there and carry that momentum.&#8221;</p><p>Busch certainly brings momentum into the race weekend. He crushed the field at Indianapolis last Sunday, leading 149 of 170 laps. Even when the race was restarted four times over the final 19 laps, no one was able to get close as Busch simply drove away.</p><p>The victory was Busch&#8217;s fourth of the season, tying him with Brad Keselowski with the most this season. Those two drivers along with multiple-race winners Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson are locked into the 16-driver Chase, a 10-race playoff system to end the season and determine the Cup champion.</p><p>As for the other 11 slots, some will go to all drivers with at least one victory provided they are in the top-30 in points. Any remaining berths go to winless drivers based on the points standings.</p><p>Six drivers have at least one win but are not locked into the Chase, although it would take some unexpected circumstances to bump them.</p><p>Austin Dillon is among the five drivers currently in position to make the Chase but without a victory. He is 12th in points with six races remaining until the Chase field is set. So he is in good shape, although a victory would all but lock up a spot.</p><p>So there is a delicate balance between winning &#8212; and checking off the Chase box &#8212; and shooting for solid finishes starting with Pocono.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s really tough,&#8221; said Dillon, who drives the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. &#8220;You want to get into victory lane so you know you&#8217;re locked in, but you also have a really good shot where the points are standing right now. A hard act to balance, but we&#8217;re just trying to get consistently better every weekend and put ourselves in a better position to win. The more we have those top-five, top-10 runs and show speed we&#8217;ll have those opportunities.&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_dillon.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Austin Dillon waits to get into his car before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway on July 2. A victory Sunday would all but lock up a spot in the Chase. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_dillon.jpg</photo0><caption0>Austin Dillon waits to get into his car before the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway on July 2. A victory Sunday would all but lock up a spot in the Chase. </caption0><photoCredit0>John Raoux | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_kybusch_winnersticker_072416.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, poses with the winner&#8217;s decal in Victory Lane after winning the Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_kybusch_winnersticker_072416.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Toyota, poses with the winner&#8217;s decal in Victory Lane after winning the Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Jeff Curry | NASCAR via Getty Images </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Pocono is one of two tracks where Gibbs driver hasn&#8217;t won</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By John Erzar</p><p>jerzar@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>POCONO RACEWAY SCHEDULE</strong></p><p><strong>Friday</strong></p><p>9:30-10:55 a.m. &#8211; ARCA practice</p><p>11 a.m.-12:25 p.m. &#8211; Sprint Cup practice</p><p>12:30-1:55 p.m. &#8211; Truck Series practice</p><p>2 p.m. &#8211; ARCA qualifying</p><p>3-3:55 p.m. &#8211; Truck Series practice</p><p>4:15 p.m. &#8211; Sprint Cup qualifying</p><p>5:30 p.m. &#8211; ARCA race (60 laps)</p><p><strong>Saturday</strong></p><p>9:05 p.m. &#8211; Truck Series qualifying</p><p>11 a.m.-12:20 p.m. &#8211; Sprint Cup practice</p><p>1 p.m. &#8211; Truck Series race</p><p><strong>Sunday</strong></p><p>1:30 p.m. &#8211; Sprint Cup race (160 laps)</p><p><strong>Friday&#8217;s forecast:</strong> Morning thunderstorms with a 60 percent chance of precipitation and a high of 76 degrees.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach John Erzar at 570-991-6394 or on Twitter @TLJohnErzar</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Kyle Busch looks to add Pocono to his conquests